Courts / Cork / Report

Migrant engineer who worked 10-hour days for under minimum wage wins €14k

Date
2026-07-14

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Cork

County
Cork

Summary

A migrant construction engineer, Dongming Hou, has been awarded €14,000 for employment rights breaches after working 10-hour days for under the minimum wage. He was employed by Buildify Construction and Technology Limited on the basis of assurances that the company would assist him with a work permit. During his probationary period, he was paid €1,600 a month for an 8am to 5pm workday, with a pay rise promised after completing probation. However, his actual working hours exceeded the agreed upon time, with tasks going beyond engineering functions to include painting, electrical work, and plumbing. Evidence from WeChat group messages showed that his average working week was 56.76 hours. Despite this, his pay remained unchanged. The adjudication officer accepted the WeChat records as credible and ruled that there was a continuing underpayment throughout the employment. The total award included €12,151.34 for arrears of pay and €2,106 for accrued annual leave.