Trade unions have taken aim at the draft legislation, which they say is stacked in favour of employers over workers.

THE GOVERNMENT’S DRAFT legislation on the right for employees to request remote working lacks detail, say unions and employment law solicitors.

Speaking yesterday after the Cabinet approved a bill that would give people the right to request remote working, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar said employers would “have to give a good reason” to deny a request under the new framework.

The heads of the bill, published yesterday, also provide for an appeals mechanism if an employee is refused a request to work remotely.

But trade unions have taken aim at the draft legislation, which they say favours business owners over workers.

Speaking on the Today programme with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 today, Patricia King, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said that the 13 reasons why employers can refuse a request under the legislation are “fairly stacked in the employer interest”.

Some of the reasons an employer can refuse a request include:

• If the nature of the work doesn’t allow for remote working;
• If there is a burden of additional costs, taking into the scale and financial resources of the business;
• If the business is planning structural changes;
• If there are concerns about the protection of business confidentiality or intellectual property;
• If there are concerns about the suitability of the proposed workspace on health and...

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