sick leave | Terry Gorry & Co. Solicitors

There is no general entitlement under Irish law to be paid whilst out of work due to sickness/illness.

However it is something that can be provided for between the employer and employee when agreeing a contract of employment.

The Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 specifically refers to the provision for incapacity for work due to sickness as being one of the things about which the employer must provide information to the employee within two months.

The employee, if he/she has sufficient social insurance contributions, may qualify for illness benefit from the Department of Social Protection.

If there is provision in the contract for sick pay to be paid by the employer it is common for provision to be made for the illness benefit received by the employee to be paid over to the employer. The contract of employment will probably also put a limit on the amount of paid sick leave that you are entitled to over a specific period of time, for example a 12 month period.

The employment contract should also provide clear rules and procedures as to the provision of medical certificates and notification to the employer. The medical certificate should also state when the employee is likely to be able to return to work. If this is not possible then weekly medical certificates will likely be required.

Whilst it is difficult to terminate the employment of an employee on sick leave, it is not impossible but considerations surrounding unfair dismissal should be borne in mind and legal advice sought.

Injury or Accident at Work

If the employee suffers an injury or occupational disease or is involved in an accident he/she may apply for injury benefit which is a weekly payment from the Department of Social Protection. However if he/she is being paid sick pay by the employer there will probably be a provision in the contract for the injury benefit payments to be paid to the employer.

The employee can also, of course, bring a personal injuries claim against the employer.

Public Holidays and Annual Leave

If the employee is on annual leave and suffers an illness for which he/she can provide a medical certificate he/she is entitled to annual leave at a later date in lieu of the sick days. If the employee is certified sick then the employer cannot insist that he take annual leave to cover this period.

It is a similar situation in relation to public holidays: if the employee can certify that he was sick during a public holiday he is entitled to time off for the public holiday he missed.

Public Service and Specific Industries

Many public servants and particular categories of workers, for example teachers, enjoy better entitlements in relation to sick leave and may well enjoy paid sick leave. In fact public servants have enjoyed six months paid sick leave followed by a further six months on half pay.

Many public servants also enjoy uncertified sick pay entitlements but these perks are due to change from January, 2014 thanks to a recent Labour Court recommendation. Teachers’ uncertified sick leave entitlements have also come under pressure following the Labour Court recommendation and have changed since September, 2012.

Employers-How to Avoid Costly Employment Claims

The four scenarios below are quite common in the Irish workplace.

Each of them has the potential to be very costly for the employer if he/she acts on the common misconceptions contained in these hypothetical situations.

employment-law-questions — Mistakes by employers can be costly

My employee is 67 and I want him/her to retire-can I just tell him/her that he/she must retire soon?

No, not unless you have stipulated a retirement age in the contract of employment. There is no general statutory fixed retirement age in Ireland. There is a retirement age set in some public sector jobs and in occupations such as Gardai, the fire service, and the Judiciary.

However in the private sector, if it is not in the contract of employment, the employee can continue working.

I never gave my employee a contract. He has worked with me for 7 years but now I want to give him a contract to reflect the changed economic circumstances.

Firstly, just because you failed to give your employee a written contract does not mean he doesn’t have a contract. He does.

And whatever written contract you propose giving him now must reflect the terms and conditions he has enjoyed to date. Any changes to these terms must be with his consent as not to obtain his consent will amount to a unilateral changing of the contract by you as employer.

This is not permissible and will leave you open to a claim for breach of contract and/or constructive dismissal.

I am not happy with my employee’s performance and I want to replace him with someone who will do the job properly.

You cannot do so without going through a procedure which is fair and allows the employee to improve after you have brought to his attention the failings in his work. This will involve in making clear the standards required of your employee and how he is falling short.

You will need to set out the improvements required and give him a reasonable time period within which to come up to the mark. You will also need to give warnings that failure to improve sufficiently may lead to dismissal (ultimately).

My employee has been out on certified sick leave for ages and I have been told I cannot dismiss her while she is on sick leave so I am stuck with her..

This is not the case-you can fairly dismiss in certain circumstances, even when your employee is out sick. However it will depend on the needs of your workplace, the length of service of your employee, whether the sickness is a long term absence or a series of short term illness related absences.

So, while it is not easy to fairly dismiss while your employee is on sick leave, it is possible.

Always consult a solicitor in relation to cases like those outlined above; each case will be hugely influenced by the particular circumstances and making decisions based on misunderstandings can prove very costly.

See EmploymentRightsIreland.com also.