This won’t be a popular one…

Another sambles by our government! why are we paying prsi and usc ? oh wait to pay anglo depts!

This is nuts. Small businesses rely heavily on their employees ( often only one or two) for productivity.In many cases these people are trained specifically for a task. It’s bad enough that productivity suffers when an employee goes sick but to have to cover the cost whilst also paying a temporary worker is a stretch too far for many small businesses, the money is simply not there and with avenues of credit almost squeezed shut this will result in even longer dole queues . Minister, not every employer in this country is a wealthy multi-national corporation. Many small businesses are on their knees as it is and now this, you need to get some sense.

This is crazy.Its definitely the one reason I will stop employing people.A few years back I had to go for back surgery.I was told by doctor you need to rest for 6 week after op.I returned to work one week later as my staff member was out sick.Can you imagine if I had to pay them when I count even afford to take time myself.Results permanent nerve damage.Self employed women are not entitled to maternity leave or social welfare when there business don’t work.Yet doctors freely give certs to people and employers have to pay for this.Really encouraging people to be productive and contribution ??

Why don’t the government look at public sector sick pay first…6 months full pay..before hitting small businesses that are actively trying to create employment and get the economy back on track

It’s as simple as this, most employees in this country work in small company’s or for self employed individuals who even during the “Tiger Economy’ were making below the industrial average, this would be the straw that broke the camels back for a large proportion of these.

Prsi otherwise known as social insurance, to cover times of social need, such as times out sick, if employers have to cover sick pay then the government should significantly reduce or abolish employers Prsi so that his could cover the sick cover scheme for employers.

People can be ignorant and assume that all employers are well to do, this is not the fact.

The basis of our business society, not a socialist society, is that risk versus reward means that employers who risk a lot by investing in a business deserve to be rewarded for that risk, not the other way around, where employees who only risk there jobs should deserve to have it all with very little risk.

Employees deserve fair pay for fair work and there are a lot of very good employees, unfortunately some think they deserve to get everything for very little and this is what can break a company.

I am sure there will be positive as well as negative to this but I as an employer i have at times had good money coming in and at other times after paying employees and bills could not afford to pay myself, if in those times I had to pay sick employees it would have been the straw form me.

Sure work for cash in hand while signing on the dole, that way if your sick you have a medical card ;)

The state should pay god knows they take enough of our wages with all there extra taxes and I still have to pay for a doctor and meds yet they wonder why there’s so many unemployed stop making it harder on company’s they might be able to afforded new staff

While the idea might have it’s merits – though the cost of PRSI would need to be revisited, currently this idea seems totally at odds with the governments claim to want to create jobs. If you were a small business you would have to look very closely at the possible costs involved in employing additional employees.

Surely if this is brought in then PRSI will need to be reduced significantly. Here in Canada we pay EI which is the same as PRSI and it covers sick pay, so the system does work under efficient controls. This Government seem intent on doing everything but tackle the massive operating deficit in the PS. The mind boggles at how ineffective this FG/Labour Gov has been (this is coming from a FG supporter)

I was out of work for over three months this year due to serious injury. 6 weeks were in hospital and the rest home recovery. My employer kept paying me and didn’t make a fuss about it. In fact my boss contacted my wife while I was in ICU to tell her not to worry that I’d still be paid. They didn’t have to do this, but they did. I’ll not forget that generosity and they have my loyalty. If a company actually just can’t afford to then it’s a different story but my opinion is that the company should pay the sick leave in serious circumstances and if can’t afford to then should have to prove this before the state pays.

Maybe the concept of employers paying for sick leave is coming at the wrong time. Maybe this should have been suggested during the Celtic Tiger?

However, I agree… Employers should pay for a portion of sick leave. I have experienced this concept the United States. In the States sick leave is written into work agreement. For example, each employee gets so many sick days. If the sickness turns into something more serious, then the sick days roll into sick leave and the total amount of time given for sick time off is three weeks. During this time the employer is monitoring the time off. The employer can ask for certifications as proof. These certifications can be arranged by the employer or employee. If it is found the employee is cheating the system, the employer can discharge the employee. If the employee’s sickness is legitimate, then an application is made to the state for sick leave payment. I think that this model shares the burden. In truth, models similar to this being used in Ireland. A number of non-Irish company use this model. This goes along with the benefit package that is part of the employee package. Furthermore, Aer Lingus has something similar to this.

Every employee pays PRSI also

Another addition to the widening split between private sector workers and the public sector. Public servants’ employer is the State, which will pay for their sick pay still…

???

Well public employees seem to get endless days of fully paid sick leave… Of which theres no accountability for any of it, and and reasonable changes to bring them in line with the rest of us are shot down by aggressive unions.

Having one standard minimum for all seems much fairer, small businesses can manage statutory minimums for 20 days holidays… Why not 3-5 sick days a year?

LOL…. Just LOL!

Allowances are here to stay. Let the coping classes cope.Public servants are entitled.Screw the small business men, they are only little people.

“When an employee calls in sick they must sign onto the social welfare – and it can tend to focus the mind of the employee as to when they will be returning back.”

Stay Classy SFA. My experience of people on extended sick leave is that the illness is often caused by poor work practices or bullying in the workplace by employers. Maybe paying for this sick leave will “focus” the minds of SFA and IBEC members to clean up their act.

How many do you employ

seriously? employers dont pay the sick leave? that is insane. and people think this is reasonable? ireland never ceases to amaze me

Employers get the profit when a worker is healthy when that worker becomes ill the the taxpayer pays the cost ..strange world indeed !!!

Almost every other EU country requires employers to stand the initial costs of sick pay. Only in Ireland can such employers shirk that responsibility. It’s time that these freeloading employers paid their fair share. They have responsibilities to this republic or does their patriotism only extend as far as their bottom line! Fumbling in the greasy till indeed.

ibec, not the troika rule this country. class war is called for

This seems to be another example of Ireland’s Nanny State. Of course company’s should share the burden of their staffs non-attendance at work! If nothing else this acts as an incentive for the employer to appropriately supervise and monitor the attendance of their staff. Surely a compromise can be reached by offering a Company and a State system side by side.

so why should I have to be paying through my taxes the cost of paying for strangers sick pay as they claim through the state….let their employers pay for them….

why is that relevant? poor employers. my heart bleeds. go cry on pat kennys shoulder.

labour laws, immigration, womens rights, childrens health, tenant law. the whole set up is for the benefit of blueshirts. yes, they still exist.