Irish Remote Work Law Fails Workers, Employers Find it Minor Inconvenience
Ireland's remote work legislation is failing workers, offering only minor inconvenience to employers who deny requests, an Oireachtas committee heard. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions noted employers are satisfied, citing high-profile return-to-office mandates and low employee success rates. A Department of Enterprise assessment, despite 8,000 responses, based its high approval figures on tiny subsamples, raising credibility concerns.
Ireland's legislation on the right to request remote working is failing employees and poses only a minor inconvenience for employers who wish to refuse such requests, an Oireachtas committee heard. Laura Bambrick, Social Policy Officer for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, stated that employers are content with the current code because it is, at most, an administrative hurdle for those denying or withdrawing permission.
High-profile mandates for returning to the office and a near-zero success rate for Workplace Relations Commission cases taken by employees demonstrate the law's inadequacy. The Department of Enterprise's two-year assessment, which received over 8,000 responses, was criticized for its credibility. Its widely cited figures of 94% and 97% request approval rates were based on tiny subsamples of only 124 employees and 72 employers, respectively.
Brian McDowell, Head of Public Affairs for the Financial Services Union, highlighted that recent moves by AIB and Bank of Ireland to increase in-office days represent the «biggest issue in the sector since the strike of 1992». He noted employees are being asked to commute to Dublin without evidence of tangible company benefits, often bypassing local hubs where they previously worked successfully.