Opposition calls for stronger remote work legislation

Five years on from the start of the working from home revolution, the realities of 2025 have seen a breakthrough in workers’ rights reduced to a simmer.

Since the full lifting of pandemic restrictions in early 2022, workers have gradually been forced to return to the office, and now in 2025, it is more common for employers to demand workers to be in the office full-time with little reproach for remote working options.

The 2023 Work Life and Balance Act was seen as a missed opportunity by unions for not giving workers the right to remote work, and was seen as siding more with employers over workers.

Members of the opposition have criticised the government for not doing enough to protect the rights of remote workers.

Social Democrats TD Sineád Gibney, who serves as the party spokesperson on employment, criticised comments by Denis O’Brien.

Speaking at a recent business event, O’Brien claimed that working from home is “a load of nonsense” which feeds an “entitlement culture which has totally destroyed our work ethic and compromised productivity.”

Gibney remarked that the government should not take advice from billionaires on the issue of workers’ rights.

“The irony of a man – who was awarded a mobile phone licence after he made secret payments of £500,000 to a minister – decrying an entitlement culture should be noted,” the Dublin Rathdown TD said.

“Ireland is one of the most productive countries in the world and the right to work from home has helped to increase our labour force,” she said.

She noted that disabled people, lone parents, and women with children are now more likely to participate in the job market, a figure which the government likes to judge its own performance on.

“What is really nonsense is the fact that the right to work from home in this country is so weak; working from home is a hugely important measure that protects work-life balance and enhances people’s ability to join the workforce.”

In 2022, Labour proposed a bill which would give remote work legislation “teeth”, but the bill failed to pass, leading to Labour TD Marie Sherlock saying the government “bottled” the issue.

Labour Senator Nessa Cosgrove said the government “needs to step into the modern world of work and support workers with real rights, not outdated opinions.”

“For thousands of people, flexible and remote work has been life-changing. It’s not a luxury — it’s a necessity for working parents, carers, those facing long commutes, and people priced out of urban centres.

“Labour has been crystal clear: everyone who can work remotely should have a legal entitlement to flexible work from day one. The world of work is changing, but this government, and obviously Denis O’Brien, are stuck in the past.”

“Flexible work has already made workplaces more equal. It’s helped women workers stay in the workforce, supported carers, and opened up opportunities for people outside cities.”

Cosgrove noted, “what’s really striking is that women are among the most concerned about being forced back into the office. Flexible work has been a game-changer for those balancing work and care. Rolling back these gains would be a step backwards for gender equality and for workers’ rights.”