Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Sick Leave Bill 2022: Committee Stage

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

This flies in the face of the assurances the Minister of State is giving us that we are going up to ten, that there is no problem and that this all has to be here but the Opposition should not worry as this will happen barring extraordinary circumstances. Why not have a one-way ratcheting system?

At present, it is the first order. We cannot go below three days but, apart from that, we could go up to six days and then go back down to three days on the basis of competitiveness or the views of the employer representative groups.

The Minister of State said that we would not have the flexibility. Actually, there would be flexibility in the sense that legislation could be brought in to say we have an emergency situation. I accept it would be up to the Government to get a majority in the Dáil but what the amendment removes is the ability of the Minister to decide we are to reduce the number of sick days.

Even in the spirit of us starting at three days but going to ten days, people who have paid even a little attention to this would presume this is a one-way street and we cannot go up and down again and that if we are serious about going to ten days and then beyond ten days, it should only go in one direction. If the Minister of State wants to make an emergency exceptional case, he should come forward with legislation and seek a majority in the Dáil for it as opposed to simply leaving it in the hands of the Minister.

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