CPSU call for changes to PRSI legislation

The Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) has called on the Government and the Social Partners to agree structural changes to PRSI legislation to support family-friendly workplace initiatives.

In a motion for debate at the ICTU Women's Conference today, the CPSU said current PRSI legislation discriminated against work-sharers who are predominantly women and denied them full pension and other benefits linked to their PRSI deductions from their earnings.

Speaking at the ICTU Conference, CPSU equality officer Theresa Dwyer criticised current PRSI regulations which required workers to be at work on the same day each week in order to be able to record a PRSI payment for that week.

This requirement, she said, discriminated against job sharers and work sharers, who work a week on/week off or split week attendance pattern who might not find it possible to change their work

patterns in order that they could be recorded as having been at work on the same day each week.

"Almost every year they have to change their working days to suit the red tape of the tax year even if it creates difficulties and hardship for their children and child minding arrangements," she added.