Lots of interest in sick pay. A thread:

With few exceptions, Irish workers who cannot work due to illness have no right under employment law to be paid by their employer. Sick pay is at the discretion of employers. This is completely out of line with workers’ rights elsewhere.

Most countries legally require employers to cover workers' pay during at least the first two weeks of sickness with many requiring a much longer period of cover e.g. six weeks in Germany, 26 weeks in the UK, up to three years in the Netherlands.

The Troika (remember them!) in a staff report pointed out this inconsistency and “encouraged reforming sick leave policies by requiring employers to pay for the first two to four weeks of illness” Government acted on this, partially.

Budget 2014 doubled the waiting days for Illness Benefit - a welfare payment for sick workers – from 3 days to 6. Meaning workers can only claim €203 p.w. sick pay from the state after six unpaid days of absence. This was intended to nudge employers to fill the void. It hasn’t.

Covid-19 has exposed big holes in income protection, sick pay being just one. Legislating for mandatory occupational sick pay must now be a priority. Workers deserve nothing less, as do good employers who are at a competitive disadvantage to those employers who don’t pay if sick.