Government stance on remote work “insulting” says Gibney

Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney has called the government’s stance on remote working “insulting.”

After the 2024 general election, the government watered down legislation which would have given employees the right to request remote work, with trade unions arguing the legislation was more in favour of the employer than the employee.

Now, as the Iran War’s economic aftershocks hit Irish shores, the Economic and Social Research Institute and International Energy Agency have recommended that employers let employees work from home wherever possible.

Gibney said that the onus should now be on the government to introduce a “real, enforceable, right to remote working.”

Gibney said the advice from the ERSI and the IEA “adds weight to what we already know – that remote working is better for employees, better for their pockets, and better for our planet.”

The Dublin Rathdown TD said, “it’s high time the government listened to the evidence and introduced an enforceable right to remote working.”

“Instead, employees currently have to make do with a ‘right to request’,  which is completely unenforceable for most workers, doesn’t assess business needs, and forces people to needlessly commute to the office.

The Social Democrats’ employment spokesperson said “we can’t afford to wait as the government fails to act in any real way to increase the numbers of people who are able to work remotely.”

Gibney said that Tánaiste Simon Harris’ comments that he was “contemplating” work-from-home recommendations are “insulting.”

“The government has actively obstructed the retention and wider adoption of remote working. We need a clear, fair and enforceable right to working remotely – something this government has repeatedly stated it doesn’t want to implement,” she stated.

She said she would be introducing a bill to establish what she calls a “real, enforceable right to remote working,” saying that a “fair, common sense system can help with our work-life balance, our productivity and commutes.”

“I urge the government to put their money where their mouth is by backing my legislation to show they are serious about properly supporting people to work from home,” she said.