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

I think that is very wrong. Protection should be there for people who are remote working. Again, it is that paternalistic, grace and favour arrangement and attitude.

The Minister referenced the importance of an employer knowing the worker can access the office. As it stands, an employer does not need to know where a person lives. All they need to know is that the worker turns up. If the requirement is to be in the office on a Wednesday, they need to be in the office on a Wednesday. If they have to get up a couple of hours early or stay overnight in their mother’s because she happens to live close to the office, it is not really their bosses’ business. I am a little disturbed that the Minister thinks it is. This is a new form of working. It is one which many people benefited from during the pandemic. It cuts down on people commuting and it improves their work-life balance, which is what we are talking about. If it is not someone's boss's business now where someone lives, and it is not, then I do not see how it can suddenly become his or her business just because they happen to apply for remote working. Again, it is that attitude of a grace and favour arrangement or it being almost like a treat.

I have done enough legislation in this place to know that when the answer to every second question is either “code of conduct” or “review”, it is a red flag that the legislation is being rushed and is not being done correctly. I would love to be proven wrong but that is my worry. It is regrettable that someone could come to a voluntary arrangement with their employer and find themselves outside of the protections, limited as they are.

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