Úna Uí Shúilleabháin is a primary school teacher in West Kerry. The 34-year-old mother of two developed meningitis in September last year and had to take three weeks off work.
“Whenever I’m sick, I ring my principal as soon as I realise I’ll have to take time off,” she says. “I feel bad, especially if I wake up in the morning and am unable to give them much notice when it comes to finding a substitute teacher. But they are always understanding, and I know that I’ll be paid in full, so there’s no need for me to worry about the financial consequences of being ill.”
This has long been the case for those working in the public sector, but it’s only recently become the norm in the private sector. Up until January 1, 2023, Ireland was one of only five EU countries where workers had no legal right to sick pay if they were too ill or injured to work.
“Irish employment law did not require employers to pay their staff when absent due to illness or injury,” says Dr Laura Bambrick, the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s head of social policy and employment affairs who led the union’s campaign to make sick leave mandatory.
“Sick pay in Ireland was treated as a perk of the job that employers could decide whether or not to include in a contract of employment. As a result, half the workforce, more than one million employees, were not covered for paid sick leave in their terms and conditions.”
According to Caroline Reidy, managing director of the HR Suite, the pandemic drew public attention...
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