Time to strengthen remote work protections
Time to strengthen remote work protections - The Labour Party
- Workers failed by weak remote work rules
Labour’s Workers’ Rights Spokesperson Senator Nessa Cosgrove has called for urgent reform to Ireland’s remote and flexible work laws following a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) ruling that found a company in breach of the Work Life Balance Act 2023. The case highlights the pressing need to go further in legislating for the right to flexible work. Labour is renewing its call for the Government to adopt the legislation it published in 2022 to give workers a real, enforceable right to remote and flexible work.
Senator Cosgrove said:
“This WRC ruling confirms what Labour has said all along: flexible and remote work arrangements are not a luxury — they are a necessity. The world of work has changed and Government are totally out of touch with where working people are at. For example, for workers with caring responsibilities or, for those commuting long distances, flexible work has been a gamechanger. And we know, survey after survey has shown that it is what workers want.
“Flexible work isn’t just good for workers’ wellbeing and productivity — it’s good for the environment, the economy, and our society. It reduces commuting, congestion, emissions and living costs. It tackles regional inequality and allows people to live and work in places that make sense for them and their families.
“While the Government will predictably point to the WRC’s Code of Practice on remote and flexible work as some sort of silver bullet, the reality is they bottled the opportunity to give workers real rights. There is no actual right to appeal if an employer refuses a request. Once an employer claims it’s not in their business interest, the worker has no recourse. That’s not protection — it’s a loophole.
“It’s particularly bizarre that commuters — some of the most obvious beneficiaries of flexible work — are excluded from a right to request it. This flies in the face of any climate, transport, or urban planning logic. Reducing rush-hour congestion should be a shared goal, but this Government’s approach lacks vision.
“Labour published legislation in 2022 that would have given all workers a real right to flexible and remote work. It’s clearly what working people want, and it’s what they need.”
Link to Right to Flexible Working Bill 2022 here.