Workers to get at least 10 days paid sick leave phased in between January 2022 and 2025.
- The government’s statutory sick pay scheme will be phased in over a four-year period, starting with three days per year in January 2022, rising to five days payable in 2023 and seven days payable in 2024.
- Employers will eventually cover the cost of 10 sick days per year in 2025. The statutory days a minimum level of sick pay a company must provide but they have the freedom to offer more.
- Sick pay will be paid by employers at a rate of 70% of an employee’s wage, subject to a daily threshold of €110. The daily earnings threshold of €110 is based on 2019 mean weekly earnings of €786.33 and equates to an annual salary of €40,889.16.
- An employee will have to obtain a medical certificate to avail of statutory sick pay paid by the employer and the entitlement is subject to the employee having worked for their employer for a minimum of six months.
- Once entitlement to sick pay from their employer ends, employees who need to take more time off may qualify for illness benefit from the Department of Social Protection subject to PRSI contributions.
- In regard to the requirement of a doctor’s cert, employers can “choose” to trust their employees and not require one but that it is “reasonable” to include it in the Statutory requirement.
- The legislation will expressly state that this does not prevent employers offering better terms or stop unions negotiating for more through a collective agreement, including agreements already in place.
- The new sick pay legislation follows similar measures already introduced to enhance employment rights including paternity benefit, parental leave benefit, enhanced maternity benefit, treatment benefit, and the extension of social insurance benefits to the self-employed.
