New laws are coming into effect that mean employers will have to pay their workers sick leave - which will be welcomed in the cost of living crisis.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is being phased in over the space of four years, starting on the 1st of January. There will be a legal obligation for employers to pay their staff during periods of absence through illness.
It will make a big difference to workers, as many businesses do not offer paid sick leave, RSVP reports. The Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the legal minimum sick pay.
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The entitlement to paid sick leave is being phased in over 4 years:
- 2023 - 3 days covered
- 2024 - 5 days covered
- 2025 - 7 days covered
- 2026 - 10 days covered
Sick days can be taken as consecutive days or non-consecutive days. The sick pay year is the calendar year, so it runs from the 1st of January to the 31st of December.
You can get sick pay of 70% of normal weekly pay, up to a maximum €110 a day.
To qualify for statutory sick pay you must:
- Be an employee
- Have worked for your employer for at least 13 continuous weeks before you are sick
- Be certified by a GP as unable to work
You can get sick pay if you are:
- On probation
- Undergoing training (interns)
- An apprentice
- An agency worker
Where an employee has an extended period of illness, the scheme will operate seamlessly with the existing illness benefit system which kicks in on day four of an absence. Once the employee has exhausted their entitlement to paid sick leave, they will move onto illness benefit, if eligible.
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