Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I spoke earlier to amendment No. 17. There is an important point here. We have heard Senators speak about the impact on and the cost to businesses and justify the payment of 70% of the daily rate. I remain absolutely opposed to that because low-paid workers cannot afford to go out sick on 70% of the daily rate. To pick up on something Senator Seery Kearney talked about, we know that in the childcare sector many childcare workers earn barely above the minimum wage, often just over €12 per hour. They cannot afford to be out sick and to get less than their full daily rate because they do not have any spare capacity. They need everything they earn in a week to cover their bills. We need to keep coming back to who the Bill is for. It is for low-paid workers. We are not acting in their interests by applying a 70% rate. I appeal to those Senators who justify the 70% rate to support amendment No. 17 in order that those who are paid only 70% of their daily rate at least get enough to cover the cost of going to the doctor. Those Senators have had their chance to support amendments to review the requirement for medical certification. They have chosen to say that every worker going out on sick leave should need a medical certificate on day one. I now appeal to those Senators to make sure that a minimum daily rate is set such that such workers will at least be able to cover the cost of going to the doctor. Otherwise, there is no point; they will have to go into work sick because they will earn less than the cost of going to the doctor, as we said earlier.