[Ireland] Bereavement leave could be paid from Social Insurance Fund

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has suggested that bereavement leave in Ireland be legislated for and paid for out of the Social Insurance Fund, The Journal reports.

Employees may currently be able to take compassionate leave if a close member of their family dies but the leave is not set down in law, can depend on the employment contract and is at the employer’s discretion.

Effectively employers may give force majeure leave if a close family member has died but employees are not yet entitled to it under law. 

Mr Varadkar has said this is something that the Government might address. He said, “I think one of the things we could look at into the future is whether we could have a payment out of the Social Insurance Fund.

So the same way, if people are taking illness leave or maternity leave, they can get some money from the Social Insurance Fund, perhaps we could do something similar, and that wouldn’t impose a cost on employers, but at least would mean that employees wouldn’t lose a day’s pay or two days’ pay.

The Tánaiste said employers are generally sensitive in the majority of cases where bereavement leave allowance isn’t specified in someone’s contract.

“If a close family member dies, they often give their employees a bit of time off and they don’t dock their wages. But that’s not a legal right,” he said.

The Tánaiste said his immediate focus is on the measures his department is currently pushing over the line prior to his rotation out of his ministerial position to become Taoiseach again.

He said these priorities include the statutory sick pay for workers, the protection of tips legislation, the additional bank holiday next year, the increase in the minimum wage and the move towards a living wage.

“We just want to make sure we do that at a pace that’s not going to undermine business or employment,” he said. 

Remote working legislation

The Tánaiste reportedly said the next thing on his agenda for the new Dáil term is legislation for the right to request remote working. He hopes to get this published, if not enacted, by Christmas.

The Government’s Right to Request Remote Working Bill was unveiled earlier this year but trade unions and opposition politicians heavily criticised the framework. They claim it favours business owners over workers and gives employees little room to appeal a decision to refuse their request.

Mr Varadkar told The Journal that his department has received the report back from the all-party committee which reviewed the new law. He said, “I anticipate I’ll be incorporating almost all the recommendations they’ve made. And that then allows us to press ahead with that law.”

Responding to the question of when he realistically expects it to be on the statute books, Mr Varadkar said the time it might take to get through the Dáil and the Seanad is out of his control but he would like the bill published, ideally, before Halloween.

“If not for Halloween, by Christmas… whoever takes over my role will hopefully get it done by Easter,” he said.

Source: The Journal

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has suggested that bereavement leave in Ireland be legislated for and paid for out of the Social Insurance Fund, The Journal reports.

Employees may currently be able to take compassionate leave if a close member of their family dies but the leave is not set down in law, can depend on the employment contract and is at the employer’s discretion.

Effectively employers may give force majeure leave if a close family member has died but employees are not yet entitled to it under law. 

Mr Varadkar has said this is something that the Government might address. He said, “I think one of the things we could look at into the future is whether we could have a payment out of the Social Insurance Fund.

So the same way, if people are taking illness leave or maternity leave, they can get some money from the Social Insurance Fund, perhaps we could do something similar, and that wouldn’t impose a cost on employers, but at least would mean that employees wouldn’t lose a day’s pay or two days’ pay.

The Tánaiste said employers are generally sensitive in the majority of cases where bereavement leave allowance isn’t specified in someone’s contract.

“If a close family member dies, they often give their employees a bit of time off and they don’t dock their wages. But that’s not a legal right,” he said.

The Tánaiste said his immediate focus is on the measures his department is currently pushing over the line prior to his rotation out of his ministerial position to become Taoiseach again.

He said these priorities include the statutory sick pay for workers, the protection of tips legislation, the additional bank holiday next year, the increase in the minimum wage and the move towards a living wage.

“We just want to make sure we do that at a pace that’s not going to undermine business or employment,” he said. 

Remote working legislation

The Tánaiste reportedly said the next thing on his agenda for the new Dáil term is legislation for the right to request remote working. He hopes to get this published, if not enacted, by Christmas.

The Government’s Right to Request Remote Working Bill was unveiled earlier this year but trade unions and opposition politicians heavily criticised the framework. They claim it favours business owners over workers and gives employees little room to appeal a decision to refuse their request.

Mr Varadkar told The Journal that his department has received the report back from the all-party committee which reviewed the new law. He said, “I anticipate I’ll be incorporating almost all the recommendations they’ve made. And that then allows us to press ahead with that law.”

Responding to the question of when he realistically expects it to be on the statute books, Mr Varadkar said the time it might take to get through the Dáil and the Seanad is out of his control but he would like the bill published, ideally, before Halloween.

“If not for Halloween, by Christmas… whoever takes over my role will hopefully get it done by Easter,” he said.

Source: The Journal

(Link and quotes via original reporting)