June 9, 2021 1:33 pm Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has announced details of a new law to give all workers the right to sick pay. The government’s statutory sick pay scheme will be phased in over a four-year period, starting with three days per year in 2022, rising to five days payable in 2023 and seven days payable in 2024. Under the Sick Leave Bill 2021, employers will eventually cover the cost of 10 sick days per year in 2025. It’s being phased in to help employers, particularly small businesses, to plan ahead and manage the additional cost, which has been capped, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.