Social insurance flaw threatens job-sharers’ entitlements

AS many as 100,000 job-sharers could be in danger of losing important health and insurance entitlements because of an anomaly in social insurance arrangements, Fine Gael said yesterday.

Spokesman on social and family affairs, David Stanton, said the party had identified a flaw in this year’s social insurance calendar which discriminated against part-time workers who work on a week-on, week-off, basis.

He called on Social and Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan to address the anomaly which may result in part-time workers losing entitlements in relation to dental and health care, as well as income protection in the event of unemployment. The flaw stems from the fact that the tax year starts on January 1 each year, irrespective of the day of week. In previous years, January 1 began on a weekday in the middle of the week.