Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights, Louise O’Reilly TD, has called out the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, for dodging his responsibilities on remote working.

Teachta O’Reilly’s comments come after the Tánaiste indicated he would no longer be taking responsibility for legislation to deliver a right to remote working.

Teachta O’Reilly said:

“The news that the Tánaiste, and Minister responsible for employment and workers’ rights, is going to dodge his responsibilities on remote working is laughable.

“Leo Varadkar has recently indicated that the responsibility to legislate for remote working will be passed to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, to be delivered via the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill.

“Over his two and a half years in the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, the Minister has failed to deliver a much-needed legislative right to remote working.

“Not only has he failed to deliver a right to remote working, but he made such a hames of the initial general scheme of the Bill that it has spent months undergoing significant repair by officials and legal drafters.

“The Tánaiste’s parting gift to workers before he becomes Taoiseach is to pass the buck to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth – a department that has absolutely no oversight in relation to employment and workers’ rights.

“Worryingly, there has been no mention of legislating to give workers a legal right to disconnect, a significant cause of burnout for workers who are subject to an ‘always-on’ culture of work.

“Delivery of remote working legislation must remain firmly within the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment and the Tánaiste must stop dodging his responsibilities to remote workers.”