Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

It is okay to say that but they are very worried because of the reduced sick leave allowance. That example I quoted means that young woman’s entire sick leave has been eaten up through this pregnancy. She will not get that sick leave back because she had not used up her sick leave before that. For the next four years she will not be entitled to paid sick leave. That is the worry. Many public sector workers have taken huge hits in their wages and the prospect of going on to half pay or no pay for a couple of days or a week or two is seriously worrying. People are taking risks, like the woman who was advised for the benefit of her pregnancy not to go to work, which she could have done otherwise. I know of another woman who said she could not afford to go on half pay as she had substantial rent and bills to pay every month. She said she was admitted to hospital with suspected pre-eclampsia and was so angry she was writing the e-mail from her hospital bed. Others have repeated that experience. That is the anomaly that needs to be worked out. It is okay to say people should not stress about it but they are stressed because they are already on the breadline.

See this speech in context