Paul Murphy: Personal trainers exploited by high-profile gyms
Paul Murphy raised allegations of exploitation of personal trainers by very high-profile gyms, citing a WRC case involving a former Flyfit trainer and contact from a trainer who works for Ben Dunn. He said trainers pay about €2,500 to qualify and are then expected to provide around 12 hours a week of unpaid labour, and asked whether the government will ensure minimum wage laws are enforced.
Allegations and cases
Paul Murphy described a case taken at the WRC by a former personal trainer of Flyfit and said another trainer who works for Ben Dunn contacted him, saying the situation was the same in both instances.
Payment and unpaid labour
He said trainers are required to pay about €2,500 to qualify as personal trainers and then allegedly must do roughly 12 hours per week of free labour - cleaning duties or free training classes - which is said to make up the rent to allow them to work out of the gym.
Request to the government
Paul Murphy asked whether the government will take steps to ensure that minimum wage legislation is applied and that no free labour is expected of personal trainers working in these facilities.
Taoiseach's response
The Taoiseach said the matter would require examination of the background, including the contractual arrangements between self-employed people and facilities. He said he did not think the trainers were self-employed, noted there are a variety of labour relations frameworks and mechanisms to deal with pay issues, and said more background information was needed.
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Taoiseach, I want to raise the issue of the incredible exploitation of personal trainers by very high profile gyms and this was brought to light by a case taken by a former personal trainer of Flyfit, taken at the WRC, another personal trainer who works for Ben Dunn contacted me, in both cases the situation is the same, you have to pay about two and a half thousand euros to qualify as a personal trainer, then after that you have to do 12 hours a week of free labour which is either cleaning duties or free training classes, that free labour is supposedly to make up the rent to allow you to work as a personal trainer out of the gym, so you pay firstly for the qualification then you provide free labour for them in order to enable you to work there, and the question is whether the government will take steps to ensure that the minimum wage legislation is applied here and that there is no free labour expected of these personal trainers. Again I'd have to examine the background to what you're putting forward there, I mean are these contractual arrangements between self-employed people and facilities, I think that's something we'd have to examine. I don't think they're self-employed. But there are a variety of labour relations frameworks there and mechanisms by which issues pertaining to you know paying conditions can be dealt with and resolved, but I need more background on that. So glad you do not. Commissioner
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