The Sick Leave Bill was eventually passed by the Oireachtas on July 22 2022 and will be enforced later this year so that employees will be entitled to sick pay phased in over a four-year period.
When the law commences employees will be entitled to three statutory sick days. This will go to to five days in 2024, seven days in 2025 and ten days in 2026. Employers will pay employees at a rate of 70% of an employees’ wage, subject to a daily maximum threshold of €110. These earnings are based on 2019 mean weekly earnings of €786.33 and an annual salary of €40,889.16.
Employers
If a business does not have a sick leave scheme, the new legislation will act as the sick pay scheme. Employers must keep a record for 4 years of all employees who have availed of the scheme. Failure to keep records may incur a fine of €2,500.
Employees
To ensure that employees are entitled to receive sick leave pay, they must obtain a medical certificate as proof, and must have worked for their employer for a minimum of 13 weeks.