Labour Court recommends Early Years pay rates of up to €18.11 an hour

The Labour Court recommended increasing Early Years Employment Regulation Order pay rates by about 5%, setting hourly rates from €14.70 to €18.11. The recommendation was dated 14 September 2023. Worker representatives proposed increases of about 15%, while employer representatives proposed about 3.5%. The Court said the parties had not agreed on the sector’s underlying financial facts, but found they agreed the sector could sustain at least an approximately 3.5% increase. The Court recommended that the Joint Labour Committee formulate an amendment with the higher rates. It also recommended against creating a new rate for Graduate Deputy Manager, citing the committee members’ inability to agree on the facts underpinning the sector and the short time the first order had been in force.