People Before Profit today launched a Bill to increase the number of Bank Holidays in Ireland. The party is proposing that three extra bank holidays are established. The dates included in the Bill are February 1st, the last Monday in September and the last Monday in November in each calendar year.
Ireland currently lags behind many EU countries in bank holiday entitlements. Ireland has 20 days minimum holiday entitlements and 9 paid public holidays. Top of the list of paid public holidays is France with 30 days minimum holiday entitlements and 16 paid public holidays.
Carlow People Before Profit Cllr Adrienne Wallace said that workers in Ireland deserve more Bank Holidays and that the government should pass this simple Bill without opposition.
Cllr Wallace said: “Workers in Ireland are lagging way behind their European counterparts in terms of paid holiday entitlements. This Bill would begin to realign the balance by introducing three new bank holiday dates – in February, September and November.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic workers in Ireland have been working the equivalent of 38 extra hours per month, according to a LinkedIn survey, and have experienced increased stress levels working from home. It is only right and fair that workers in this country who work extremely hard are rewarded with extra public holidays.
“The Covid pandemic has hit workers in this country hard. Frontline staff like health workers and nurses, cleaners, retail staff and public transport workers have been on the frontline keeping us all safe from the virus. Many of these workers, in the main, are not paid enough for the work that they have done and the efforts they have and are putting in over this pandemic.
“Whilst extra bank holidays cannot make up for the low wages that a huge proportion of workers have to put up with, workers in this country should be rewarded for that hard work by the government allowing this Bill to progress and legislating for increased bank holidays.”
Notes For Editor*:*
An Act to provide for the amendment of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:
PART 1 PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL
Short title 1. This Act may be cited as the Public Holidays Act 2021.
Interpretation 2.
In this Act—
“Minister” means the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht Sport and Medial;
“public holiday” has the meaning assigned to it in the Holiday (Employees) Act 1973.
PART 2 PUBLIC HOLDIAYS
3. That February 1st, The last Monday in September and the last Monday in November in each calendar year shall be public holidays within the meaning of the Holiday (Employees) Act 1973.
The name and commemoration of these public holidays shall be decided by a Statutory Public Consultation run by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment that will be completed within 6 months of the commencement of this act.