Labour Court recommends three-day wait and 37.5% rate for sick pay scheme

The Labour Court recommended changes to the Public Service Sick Pay Scheme after the Department Of Public Expenditure And Reform and Public Sector Trade Unions And Associations failed to agree on several issues. The recommendation was dated 6 November 2018. The Court recommended a three-day waiting period for Temporary Rehabilitation Remuneration (TRR), paid after full and half rates of sick pay have been exhausted, and a TRR rate of 37.5%. Periods receiving TRR should count fully in the scheme’s look-back calculation. Public servants already receiving a higher rate should retain their current arrangements for five years from implementation. The parties should jointly review the scheme’s operating costs and absence rate 18 months after implementation. The dispute was referred to the Court on 24 July 2018 after conciliation failed, and a hearing took place on 28 September. The parties had committed under their agreement to accept the recommendation.