Sick Leave Bill 2022: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2022-06-29
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Paul Gavan (SF), Labour Panel

That is interesting. Implied in the response of the Minister of State is that it is somehow okay for a low-paid worker not to get any money for the first day of sickness. To be frank, I disagree with him on that. If a person is sick, he or she should be entitled to sick pay. The Minister of State has acknowledged that, for the first day, there will be no sick pay because the person has to fork out for a GP. That is a point of fundamental difference between us. Sinn Féin supports the Bill but we think workers should qualify for sick pay that makes a difference.
The reality for my son or anyone else on low pay is that they are down money that day through no fault of their own. The Bill can be improved. That is all.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2022-06-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-06-29