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28th Jan 2020

Labour vows to introduce two new public holidays in Ireland if elected

Rudi Kinsella

In its manifesto released on Tuesday, Labour announced that it will also review the evidence for a shorter working week without loss of pay.

The Labour Party has said that it would introduce two new public holidays if the party is elected to government.

Labour released its official manifesto ahead of the general election taking place on 8 February, including a standout statement that will immediately catch the eye of anyone reading.

The party has said that it will introduce two new public holidays, to bring Ireland up to the European average of 11 paid public holidays.

As it stands, Ireland has nine paid public holidays, the dates of which can you see, as far as 2020 is concerned, here.

Labour also said that it will introduce a right to flexible working hours where an employer only has to make a reasonable adjustment to allow for them, to reduce stress and wasted time from commuting, and to facilitate work-life balance for parents and carers in particular.

Sticking with the work-life theme, the party said it would implement a right for employees to switch off from work email and phone calls when outside of work hours and when not compensated for this extra activity.

You can read the manifesto in full here.

Now, how many days is it until St. Patrick’s Day?