Opposition TDs have called on the Government to increase the number of Bank Holidays in Ireland.
People Before Profit (PBP) is proposing that three extra bank holidays are established in a new Bill.
They have suggested the additional Bank Holidays should be February 1, the last Monday in September and the last Monday in November in each calendar year.
Paul Murphy TD, the People Before Profit spokesperson on Employment Rights, said that workers in Ireland deserve more Bank Holidays and that the government should pass this simple Bill without opposition.
In a statement, PBP said Ireland currently lags behind many EU countries in bank holiday entitlements.
We have 20 days minimum holiday entitlements and nine paid public holidays compared to France, for example, with 30 days minimum holiday entitlements and 11 paid public holidays.
Deputy Murphy said: “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.”
Richard Boyd Barrett TD said: “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.”
