Ireland is one of the few countries that do not have a statutory sick leave scheme, funded by the employer. This situation will probably change, thanks to the forthcoming ‘Sick Leave Bill’. Employees will be granted an annual entitlement to three days of statutory sick leave. This sick leave will be paid for by the employer, and its length will gradually increase to five days in 2023, seven days in 2024 and 10 days in 2025. The amount of money payable is not fixed in the bill. The amount payable will initially be set at a level of 70% of the employee’s wage, capped at €110 per day. This rate may be amended by a ministerial order. This new scheme will primarily benefit employees who are on low wages, because the employer does not normally pay sick leave for such jobs.
Read on: in English. Read the draft bill: in English.
For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.