STRONG OPPOSITION to Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton’s proposal that employers pay the first four weeks of staff’s sick pay was voiced at last night’s Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting.
Chairman Charlie Flanagan said 25 TDs and Senators spoke against the the Labour Minister’s plan, “some quite passionately”, and Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton assured them no budgetary decisions had yet been taken.
“Very strong views were expressed by members of the party against the proposal. It was seen as anti-business and anti-jobs at a time when business costs should be coming down,” Mr Flanagan said.
“Nobody spoke in favour of the proposal,” he added.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who travelled to Germany yesterday, did not attend, but deputy leader Minister for Health James Reilly was present.
Ms Burton has estimated her plan to transfer the cost of employees’ sick pay from the State to employers would save €150 million a year in 2013.
Ms Burton has to cut her departmental budget by €700 million next month.
Her proposal to reduce employers’ rebate on redundancy payments from 60 to 30 per cent was yesterday criticised by Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Sinn Féin spokesman on social protection.
“There is a real concern that if the redundancy rebate is cut from 60 to 30 per cent then many more people who lose there jobs will be offered the bare minimum and that’s it,” Mr Ó Snodaigh said.
