Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for appearing before us. I am very heartened to know I am not the only person who says remote workly when I mean work remotely. It is an easy mistake to make but I am glad I am not alone in occasionally getting that confused. Mr. Mulligan said the Department is looking at strengthening the right to appeal. I really welcome that. There is no point in us pretending that this legislation has been heralded and lauded, in particular by those representing the interests of workers, because it has not. The legislation has been subject to quite robust criticism from people who represent workers for a living. The fact that the Tánaiste said he is open to amendments is welcome because I will have a considerable number. I sincerely hope they are received in the spirit in which they will be drafted and tabled, namely, being constructive and ensuring we get this right because we need a statutory sick pay scheme. I have said it previously but I will say it again. In a pandemic, a statutory sick pay scheme is a very effective and important instrument of public health. We saw that during the pandemic because we did not have one.

I hope Mr. Mulligan takes my comments and questions in which the spirit in which they are intended but I was very disappointed when I read this legislation. I will be straight with him. I share the concerns of my former colleagues and comrades in the Irish trade union movement. Does he believe the 13 sweeping and pretty subjective grounds for denying a remote working request strike the necessary balance? ICTU said that this legislation will be judged on whether workers have confidence that it compels an employer to be fair. The fact that the reasons for refusing have been codified and outlined and are writ very large in the legislation is cause for concern. Does Mr. Mulligan think it strikes the right balance between employer and employee needs or is this one of the sections the Department will review along with the appeal mechanism?