'We want to see more remote working,' says Leo Varadkar as Cabinet prepares new bill

The purpose of the bill is to lay out a framework whereby an employer can either approve or reject a request to work remotely from staff

One Albert Quay in Cork City on the first day of a return to the workplace after most of the Covid restrictions were lifted. The new law means if a worker's denied remote working, they can appeal to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) which can make a binding adjudication, or impose fines in certain circumstances. Photo: David Creedon

The Cabinet is set to approve legislation that will enhance the hand of workers who want to work remotely.

Under new laws being proposed by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, employers will now have to publish a written policy on the right for employees to work from home or elsewhere outside the office. It is the lead item to be discussed by ministers when they meet in Dublin Castle on Tuesday.

The purpose of the bill is to lay out a framework whereby an employer can either approve or reject a request to work remotely from an employee.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr Varadkar said: “While workers can request to remote work now, there isn't a proper legal framework. And this legal framework will set out the reasons according to which an employer could refuse remote working."

Should an employee be rejected in their claim, under this new law, they can appeal to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) which can make a binding adjudication, or impose fines in certain circumstances. The WRC will also provide protections for employees against being penalised for remote working.

“Also, they will have an appeals mechanism that can be adjudicated independently through the Workplace Relations Commission. I'll publish the heads of that bill tomorrow. And I'm hoping to get it enacted over the next couple of months,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said the Government is moving now as it is concerned that businesses will simply return to how they operated pre-pandemic.

“One thing we are concerned about happening that we don't want to happen is businesses, employers just returning to things the way they were before the pandemic happened. We want to see more remote working, more home working, more hybrid working,” Mr Varadkar said.

However, the bill will not give a guarantee that workers who seek to work remotely will be given it, as has been proposed by the Labour Party. “The bill won’t go that far,” he said. 

“We did a lot of work on this with the Attorney General. First of all, governments can only interfere in contracts that employers and employees have signed to a certain extent.

“And secondly, it's manifestly the case that remote working isn't always going to be possible. It's going to be very difficult to do in education and healthcare, manufacturing and hospitality, for example. 

"But what we want to do is get to a position whereby remote working and homeworking becomes a choice, and that employers facilitate that, provided the business gets done, provided public services don’t suffer,” he added.

Workers on a break at Grand Canal Quay in Dublin today. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Meanwhile, Cabinet is also set to approve the scheme to grant €100 credit to all domestic homes off their energy bills, as revealed by the Irish Examiner before Christmas.

It has been agreed that the subsidy will be paid directly to energy suppliers as part of a plan aimed at reducing household costs this winter. The €100 will be deducted automatically from electricity bills by the end of March. 

“The timeline for delivery of the €100 credit has not changed since the announcement was made before Christmas. We are still on track to deliver this towards the end of quarter one of this year,” a Government spokesman said.