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Essential workers, including those in retail, transportation, cleaning and food service, should receive a living wage with access to an occupational pension, according to the Tánaiste and the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar.
However, when addressing an Employment Lawyers Association seminar, Mr. Varadkar did not indicate any time frame on when the Government would legislate for this to happen.
He told the labor law specialists seminar that the Covid-19 pandemic had caused society to redefine frontline or essential workers beyond the traditional view of doctors, nurses, gardaí, firefighters or “in general, people in uniform with good jobs in the public sector. “
Today, he said, that definition should include retail and transportation workers, cleaners and foodservice personnel.
“One of the legacies of the pandemic must be better terms and conditions for them, including the move to a living wage and access to an occupational pension,” he said at the seminar.
On mandatory sick pay, the Tánaiste said it was clear that while the Government had introduced the Enhanced Covid-19 Disease Benefit when the pandemic hit, a longer-term and more sustainable plan must now be established for all diseases.
He noted that Ireland is one of the few European countries that does not have a legal obligation for employers to provide sick pay, as they do with annual leave.
“This needs to change and I am committed to introducing a legal sickness pay scheme that works for employees and employers as quickly as possible and that will present the legislation shortly,” said the Tánaiste.
He said the legislation would build on improved social protections for workers introduced in the past five years, including paternity benefit, parental leave and the extension of social security benefits to the self-employed and those who work in the workplace. gig economy.
Mr. Varadkar also warned that the transition to remote work could “empty” our major cities, which could face competition from other locations from which workers could choose to work remotely from anywhere.
“Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway will compete with Barcelona, Liverpool, Paris and Lisbon in the battle for talent. And talent can work remotely from almost anywhere, so our cities must be vibrant places. where the talent wants to live “. ” he said.
He said it was imperative to find a way to ensure that colleagues could properly connect with each other when they are not sharing the same office, while also ensuring that they feel they can disconnect when the workday is over, so that households do not become workplaces where employees are “always on”.
However, the Tánaiste also highlighted the benefits of remote or mixed work, which include less commuting, more time for family and leisure, and less greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
He also noted potential new job opportunities for people in rural Ireland, with smaller cities and towns fueled by new investment, influx, as well as better opportunities for people with disabilities or caregiving responsibilities.
In response to a query from RTÉ on when the Government could legislate to grant front-line workers the right to a living wage and an occupational pension, a spokesman for the Department of Business, Commerce and Employment noted the commitment of the Government Program of “progress towards a living wage during the life of the Government.”
He noted that the Low Pay Commission makes recommendations to the government every year on the appropriate national minimum wage rate using an evidence-based approach.
The spokesperson said the commission is in the process of commissioning an investigation and intends to deliver a report to the Tánaiste on these matters in the second half of this year.
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