Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. For many years now, Sinn Féin has been a strong advocate of bringing in statutory sick leave. The Bill has generally been welcomed but it is not without flaws. It is good to see that the Government is finally moving on this issue. The pandemic of the past two years has shone a light on the need for statutory sick pay and highlighted the issue of having nothing set in stone. Workers on low incomes have been forced to go to work even if they do not feel well because they cannot afford to go without a day's pay. It is not because they are selfish or reckless but because they need to pay their rent or mortgage and put food on the table for their children, and also because there has been no social security net to protect them financially.

This Bill still leaves questions over the capacity of workers on low incomes to access sick pay. Demanding that workers get a medical certificate as soon as they become sick is all well and good in a country with no issue in gaining access to a GP. Unfortunately, that is not the reality here. The Government has failed to acknowledge the lived experience of workers by keeping the immediate acquisition of a medical certificate as a requirement in accessing sick pay.

There are financial barriers to accessing a GP that people simply cannot afford to surmount. Many people are not in a position to pay €60 or €70 to a doctor. With the ever-rising cost of living, people simply do not have that sort of money lying around. This demand will almost certainly result in workers attending work when they are unwell. Workers need to be able to self-certify where they cannot get a doctor's note within 24 or 48 hours. We have had many discussions on the cost-of-living crisis that people are facing. The Government seems to be blind to the fact that people on low incomes are struggling. The same applies here. I hope this can be addressed on Committee Stage. My colleague, Deputy Louise O'Reilly, will be seeking to amend the clause in this regard.

The general secretary of ICTU, Ms Patricia King, raised some serious concerns over the Bill. The Irish Independentreported this morning that she has written to the Minister outlining her unease over certain parts of it. She said the need for 13 weeks' continuous service could be open to abuse, with employers purposely breaking workers' service to avoid paying sick pay. There are concerns that thousands of workers will be overlooked by this Bill. That needs to be rectified.

I thank all our essential workers, who went to work every day and put themselves at risk over the past few years. They deserve rights and entitlements like any other workers. Sick pay leave is the bare minimum to which they should be entitled. The Bill is welcome but there are still several points in it that need to be addressed. Sinn Féin and other stakeholders want to work with the Government to improve it for workers. I hope the Minister can work with us on Committee Stage to strengthen it to protect workers' right to sick pay in the future.

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