Definition of part-time employee:
A part-time employee is defined as someone who works less hours than a comparable full-time employee doing the same type of work.
Public Holidays
Part-time employees have entitlement to a benefit when they have worked a total of 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks. For more information, see the Commission’s Public Holidays page.
Annual Leave
All employees, whether they are full-time, part-time, temporary or casual, earn annual leave entitlements from the time they start work. For more information, see the Commission’s Annual Leave page.
Breaks
All employees are entitled to;
- A 15-minute break where more than 4 ½ hours have been worked.
- A 30-minute break where more than 6 hours have been worked, which may include the first break.
Payment for breaks is not a statutory entitlement.
For more information, see the Commission’s Working Hours & Breaks page.
The Protection of Employees (Part-time Work) Act, 2001 applies to any part-time employee
- working under a contract of employment or apprenticeship,
- employed through an Employment Agency,
- holding office under, or in the service of, the State including members of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, civil servants and employees of any health board, harbour authority or vocational education committee.
Under the legislation, a part-time employee cannot be treated less favourably than a comparable full-time employee in respect of any condition of employment.
An employer cannot penalise an employee -
(a) for invoking any right of the employee to be treated, in respect of the employee's conditions of employment, in the manner provided for or for giving notice of his/her intention to do so, or
(b) for having in good faith opposed by lawful means an act which is unlawful under the Act, or for giving notice of his/her intention to do so, or
(c) for refusing to accede to a request by the employer to transfer from performing —
(i) full-time work to performing part-time work, or
(ii) part-time work to performing full-time work, or
(d) for giving evidence in any proceedings under this Act or giving notice of his or her intention to do so.
You may also wish to click on the following link in our Codes of Practice section relating to the Code of Practice on Access to Part-time Work