Changes to employment law
In 2023, a series of changes to employment law included the following:
- An extension of statutory obligations under the Protected Disclosure legislation, to employers with 50 or more employees.
- Domestic Violence Leave for all employees regardless of their length of service
- Leave for Medical Care Purposes for serious medical care for a child or other relevant person like a family member
- Extension of maternity leave to transgender men (who have given birth)
- Extension of breast-feeding rights from 26 weeks to 104 weeks
- Increase in Statutory Sick Pay from 3 days to 5 days
- Increase in National Minimum Wage to €12.70 for an adult
- Gender pay gap (GPG) reporting obligations extending to all employers with 150 or more employees.
In 2024, further changes are planned, including:
- Right to request remote working and flexible working for caregivers
- Parent’s Leave & Parent’s Benefit to be extended from seven to nine weeks of leave from August 2024
- Auto-Enrolment Pension Scheme to start by the end of 2024. All employees between 23 and 60 will be automatically enrolled with the right to opt out after six months
- EU Pay Transparency Directive will likely be transposed into national law, meaning a requirement for pay transparency in recruitment, a ban on pay disclosure by employees and additional reporting requirements of pay gaps between genders.