New laws coming into effect in Ireland from this year will see all Irish employees be entitled to paid sick leave for the first time.
Earlier this week, Tanáiste Leo Varadkar’s Sick Leave Bill was given the green light and will be enacted beginning in 2022.
Ireland is currently one of the only European countries that do not require employers to provide their staff with pay during sick leave.
Mr. Varadkar said: “No one should feel pressured to come to work when they are ill because they can’t afford not to.
“It will be available to all workers, regardless of their illness.”
The new scheme will begin later this year with all employees being given three days per year. This will rise to five days in 2024, seven days in 2025, and ten days in 2026.
Sick pay will be paid by employers at a rate of 70% of an employee’s wage, subject to a daily maximum threshold of €110.
However, until the Bill is enacted, some Irish employees remain ineligible for any paid sick leave according to a top Irish lawyer.
Many people had been submitting questions to Richard Grogan, whose TikTok following has been growing rapidly over the years as he breaks down Irish law for people.
Taking to TikTok to answer the question of who is currently not entitled to any paid sick leave, Mr. Grogan said: “I received a question of whether an employer can say at the present time - before the sick leave bill goes into place - if you’re on probation you don’t get sick leave.
“And they are allowed to do that, that’s the law that’s a fact.”
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