Know Your Rights : Sunday working

March 2013

Question
I am currently unemployed and getting Jobseeker’s Benefit. I work in a bar on Sundays and I don’t work any other days. I hear that the rules about working on a Sunday are changing. What is the change?

Answer
Since 20 February 2013 Sunday working is taken into account when calculating the amount of Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance to be paid. Any work on Sunday was previously ignored when looking at your pattern of employment and people who worked only on Sundays were considered to be fully unemployed. That is no longer the case.

To get either Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance you must be unemployed. However, you do not have to be fully unemployed. You can work for some days (although you may not work for a part of any day for which you are claiming a jobseeker’s payment).
Since 20 February 2013 Sunday is counted as a day of employment. Previously, to qualify for a jobseeker’s payment, you had to be unemployed for 3 days out of 6 consecutive days. Now you must be unemployed for 4 days out of 7 consecutive days.

People who do not work on Sunday will see no change to their jobseeker’s payment. However, as you have a working pattern of 1 day a week on a Sunday, you will now have this day counted as a day of employment.

If someone getting Jobseeker's Benefit is working for part of a week, their entitlement is based on a 5-day payment week – this is different from the 7-day social welfare employment week. This means that if you work for 1 day in a week one-fifth of your weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Benefit will be deducted from your payment.
People getting Jobseeker’s Allowance who work some days have their entitlement calculated differently. If a person who is getting Jobseeker’s Allowance works on a Sunday their earnings from Sunday work will now be assessed as means and deducted from their Jobseeker’s Allowance payment.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Dungloe Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public.

Tel: 0761075430 Address: Dungloe Public Services Centre.

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000.

Bíodh Eolas agat ar do Chearta : Ag oibriú ar an Domhnach
Ceist
Táim dífhostaithe faoi láthair agus tá Sochar Cuardaitheora Poist á fháil agam. Oibrím i mbeár ar an Domhnach agus ní oibrím lá ar bith eile. Chuala mé go bhfuil athrú ag teacht ar na rialacha maidir le hoibriú ar an Domhnach. Cén t-athrú a dhéanfar?

Freagra

Ón 20 Feabhra 2013, cuirtear oibriú ar an Domhnach san áireamh nuair a bhíonn an méid den Sochar Cuardaitheora Poist nó den Liúntas Cuardaitheora Poist á ríomh atá le híoc leat. Tugadh neamhaird ar an oibriú ar an Domhnach roimhe seo nuair a bhí measúnú á dhéanamh ar do phatrún fostaíochta agus measadh go raibh daoine a d’oibrigh ar an Domhnach amháin dífhostaithe go hiomlán. Ní hamhlaidh atá cúrsaí níos mó.
Chun Sochar Cuardaitheora Poist nó Liúntas Cuardaitheora Poist a fháil, ní mór duit bheith dífhostaithe. Ní gá duit bheith go hiomlán dífhostaithe, áfach. Féadfaidh tú oibriú roinnt laethanta (cé nach féidir leat oibriú ar feadh tréimhse ar aon lá a bhfuil íocaíocht chuardaitheora poist á héileamh agat dó).

Ón 20 Feabhra 2013, cuirtear an Domhnach san áireamh mar lá fostaíochta. Roimhe seo, chun cáiliú d’íocaíocht chuardaitheora poist, bhí ort bheith dífhostaithe ar feadh 3 lá as 6 lá chomhsheasmhacha. Ón 21 Feabhra 2013, ní mór duit bheith dífhostaithe do 4 lá as 7 lá chomhsheasmhacha.
Ní dhéanfar aon athrú ar íocaíocht chuardaitheora poist daoine nach n-oibríonn ar an Domhnach. Mar gheall go bhfuil patrún oibre lá amháin sa tseachtain agat ar Dhomhnach, áfach, cuirfear an lá seo san áireamh anois mar lá fostaíochta.
Má oibríonn duine ag a bhfuil Sochar Cuardaitheora Poist á fháil do chuid den tseachtain, bunaítear a dteidlíocht ar sheachtain íocaíochta 5 lá – ní hionann seo agus seachtain fostaíochta 7 lá. Ciallaíonn seo, má oibríonn tú ar feadh lá amháin i seachtain, asbhainfear an cúigiú cuid de do Shochar Cuardaitheora Poist ó d’íocaíocht. Meastar go bhfuil tú dífhostaithe le haghaidh 5 lá agus asbhainfear 5 lá ón iomlán carnach laethanta atá fanta ar d’éileamh ar Shochar Cuardaitheora Poist.

Ríomhtar teidlíocht daoine ag a bhfuil Liúntas Cuardaitheora Poist a oibríonn roinnt laethanta ar bhealach éagsúil. Má oibríonn duine ag a bhfuil Liúntas Cuardaitheora Poist á fháil ar an Domhnach, déanfar measúnú anois ar a dtuillimh ó oibriú ar an Domhnach mar mhaoin agus asbhainfear iad óna n-íocaíocht Liúntas Cuardaitheora Poist.
Tá tuilleadh eolais le fáil ón Ionad Faisnéise do Shaoránaigh thíos.
Chuir Ionad Faisnéise do Shaoránaigh An Clochain Liath ‘Bíodh Eolas agat ar do Chearta’ le chéile. Cuireann an tIonad seo seirbhís shaor in aisce agus faoi rún ar fáil don phobal. Teil: 0761075430

Seoladh: Ionad Seirbhisi Pobal An Clochain Liath

Tá faisnéis le fáil freisin ar líne ag citizensinformation.ie agus ón tSeirbhís Teileafóin um Fhaisnéis do Shaoránaigh, 0761 07 4000.