Dáil Summer Recess – Proposed Employment Legislation Update

The Dáil summer recess commenced on Thursday, 14^th July and the Cabinet won’t be back until 14^th September. The Government had made commitments to have a number of Bills enacted before summer recess – so where are these Bills currently sitting?

Recently Enacted Bills

Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022:
Legislates for how tips should be treated by employers in terms of being distributed to employees. The Bill has passed all stages in both the Dáil and the Seanad and was signed into law by The President on 20^th July 2022. New Regulations are needed to give affect to the Act and these are yet to be published.

Sick Leave Act 2022:
Legislates for a statutory sick pay scheme for all employees in Ireland, phased in over a four-year period. Once commenced, paid sick leave will be provided for up to 3 sick days per year. This is planned to increase to 5 days in year 2, 7 days in year 3 and 10 days in year 4. The Bill has passed all stages in both the Dáil and the Seanad and was signed into law by The President on 20^th July 2022, although a date of implementation has not yet been announced.

Current Status on other Bills

The Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2022:
There has been plenty of coverage of this Bill, which will provide the legal framework for employers and employees on how requests should be made and managed. It had been initially envisaged that the Bill would be enacted before Summer Recess but there have been a number of recommended amendments put forward by the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is now expected that these changes will be made over the summer months with Autumn likely being the earliest date for the legislation to be put in place.

Right to Flexible Work Bill 2022:
Not to be confused with the Right to Request Remote Working Bill, this Bill entitles employees to the right to flexible working arrangements as per the EU’s Work Life Balance Directive. The Bill is currently before the Seanad at Second Stage.

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022:
When enacted, parents and carers will have the right to request flexible or compressed work hours. There will also be an entitlement for paid breastfeeding breaks as well as introducing paid leave for victims of domestic violence. The Bill is also as a result of the Government implementing the EU’s Work-Life Balance Directive, which is due to be transposed by August 2022. It had been expected to be enacted before Summer Recess but it is not clear when this is likely to happen.