The Government Is Stalling Plans To Increase Sick Leave Again
The Government Is Stalling Plans To Increase Sick Leave Again
Text: Izzy Copestake
The promise of 10 days of sick leave isn’t coming anytime soon.
The government is set to stall plans to increase paid sick leave from 5 days to 7 today. It’s expected that Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke will inform Cabinet this afternoon that the increase will not go ahead. This increase in sick leave has been in the works since 2022, when the last government passed a law which would have increased sick leave by two days this year.
This isn’t the first time the government has gone back on plans to increase sick leave. In January this year, the government faced criticism after delaying the planned extension of paid sick leave just as flu cases were on the rise. Although workers were expected to receive seven paid sick days starting that month, the increase was stalled due to an ongoing review. The delay sparked backlash, particularly because the sick leave scheme was designed to gradually expand, with a further increase to 10 days set for next year. This is now looking highly unlikely.
The government says the decision is based on unpublished research undertaken by the ESRI and polling data showing that increasing sick leave would disproportionately impact sectors like retail, accommodation, and food services. The added cost, though relatively small overall, could put extra pressure on businesses already operating on tight margins. The increase was projected to add 0.44% to overall payroll costs, rising to 0.6% in these more affected sectors.
When the initial delay occurred earlier this year, unions were outraged. “The four-year rollout of 10 days’ sick pay by January 2026 was intended to bring basic workers’ rights in line with long-established rights across Europe, the UK and up the road in Northern Ireland,” said Laura Bambrick, spokeswoman at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), to the Irish Independent earlier this year.
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