New legislation being brought to Cabinet will see parents allowed to take up to five days unpaid leave to care for sick children.
Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman will bring the memo to Cabinet on Wednesday for approval from his Cabinet colleagues.
Employees will not have to give notice to their employers to take up to five days off work to care for a family member.
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But the employer will be entitled to request proof of the medical need and the time off can not be taken in periods of less than one day.
The legislation will also allow for parents of a child under 12, or a person caring for a relative, to have the right to ask their employer for flexible working hours.
The new legislation from Minister O’Gorman aims to give employees greater flexibility and is part of a move for more sustainable work-life balance.
A Government source said that workers will be required to give their employer six months’ notice if they are hoping for more flexibility or reduced working hours.
The employer is expected to respond within four weeks and to consult with the employee if they refuse their request. There will be emphasis on an employer giving credible grounds for their decision to refuse a worker’s request under the legislation.
The new legislation is being introduced because of the European Union’s Work Life Balance Directive which states that working parents of children up to eight years old should be entitled to seek flexible working arrangements.
The memo being brought to Cabinet on Wednesday will also provide for leave from work for people who are victims of domestic abuse.
Working mothers who are breastfeeding can currently take one hour off work each day with pay to breastfeed their baby for six months. Minister O’Gorman is proposing to increase the time period to 104 weeks.
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