Government accepts sick pay reform, but Labor say a six-month delay will hamper the fight against the pandemic

EMPLOYERS AND UNIONS will be consulted on sick pay reform in Ireland, following a debate in Cabinet today.

The government has promised to report within six months on a Labor Party proposal that would ensure that workers who fall ill continue to be paid for up to six weeks.

Across the EU, 22 countries already have the legal right to sick pay, as does the UK. Ireland is one of the five members of the EU that does not recognize it as a right.

NPHET and the Acting Medical Director have already identified the lack of a right to sick pay in Ireland as a potential barrier to preventing the spread of Covid-19 in workplaces and in different sectors, particularly those where staff tend to have low pay.

“We have already seen outbreaks in meat processing plants, mushroom plants and nursing homes,” said Labor Senator Ivana Bacik.

A government spokesman said that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar “believes this should change,” and stated that Ireland is quite unusual compared to our European counterparts.

The decision to delay a decision on Labor’s sick pay proposals for at least six months will give the government time to examine the impacts and cost such a measure would have on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses. the spokesperson stated.

Since March of this year, workers certified as diagnosed or suspected of having Covid, or who are awaiting test results and told to self-isolate, are entitled to the enhanced sickness benefit of € 350 per week.

Both employees and the self-employed are eligible for the benefit.

Workers living in direct provision who have been diagnosed with Covid-19, or who have been advised to self-isolate, can access the payment.

During the six months, it is understood that the government will consult with stakeholders and develop options that could be implemented.

Labor Affairs spokeswoman Sen. Marie Sherlock said the lack of legal sick leave is a fundamental weakness in our fight against the pandemic.

“We cannot wait six months for a public consultation when a second wave is underway. We are more likely to see a vaccine delivered before a government proposal on sick pay after a public consultation.

“Ensuring sick pay for everyone is not just a vital issue for workers’ rights; it is the essential missing piece in our strategy against Covid-19. At any other time, we would have an obligation to ensure that all workers are entitled to paid sick leave. But during a pandemic, we have a special duty to guarantee sick pay as soon as possible in the name of public health, ”he said.

If the government insists that we wait six more months to address the problem, it will seriously undermine the possibility of a safe and fair recovery, he said.

Private sector workers depend entirely on the benevolence of their employer to pay them when they are sick, Sherlock said.

He said that currently only a minority choose to do so and those most affected tend to have lower incomes and in certain essential sectors.

“We must not make the mistake of viewing paid sick leave as an extravagance, especially when fighting to overcome a pandemic.

The debate on the impact of the lack of sickness benefit has focused on meat plants in recent months.

AA Euro Group, which provides agency staff to meat factories, confirmed on RTÉ’s Prime Time that it does not pay sick pay. Pat McCarthy of AA Euro Group said it was a legislative issue and that if all factories had to pay sick pay, they would follow suit.

The Minor Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Pippa Hackett of the Green Party, has also called for workers in the sector to have greater access to sick pay.