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

-----he was a Minister, when he cut in half the sick leave entitlements of public servants. I was a trade union official at the time and I well recall it. In fact, we managed to stave off the worst of what the Deputy was trying to do, but what public servants were left with was a sick pay scheme that was effectively half of what it was before he entered government. However, his road to Damascus-type enlightenment is welcome and I thank the Labour Party for introducing the Bill and giving us this opportunity. It is a timely debate for the House.

I will take a few seconds of my time to wish Mr. Sam Nolan a special happy birthday today. He is a stalwart of the Irish trade union movement and the Irish left and a long-time campaigner. Were he present, he would support a statutory entitlement to sick leave just as he would have opposed the cutting of sick leave for public servants when that was done.

A number of elements of this legislation merit further consideration and discussion. The fact that Ireland is an outlier in Europe should cause us to act with the urgency that the Bill calls for, but no Deputy is naive enough to believe that a statutory sick leave scheme can be introduced overnight. That notwithstanding, there is a real and urgent need for people to be able to take time off without having to fear losing money or being unable to pay their rent, heat their houses or feed their kids. These are very tangible concerns for people and now is the time for a detailed dialogue as this legislation progresses. I do not see a need to defer the Bill - we can have a process that involves a detailed dialogue taking place in parallel.

There are measures that can be introduced in the short term. For example, force majeureleave can be extended separately. This would also cover a group that is noticeably absent from this legislation, although I am sure that absence was not the intention when drafting it. Carers have been left out of the Bill but should be included. If day services close, then the carer of a person who attends those services will also have to isolate. It is important that we make this Bill inclusive legislation. It is also important that we ensure the involvement of the trade union movement, which is central to this issue.

I express my thanks for the position taken by Ms Patricia King and Mr. Gerry Light this morning in standing up to what some of us in the trade union movement used to call the "Pay Restraint Commission". The Low Pay Commission was not delivering for workers and Ms King and Mr. Light were right to walk away from it. I hope the Government will heed their message and legislate for a decent increase in the minimum wage.

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