CLIMATE LEAVE—The Unite Trade Union is seeking paid ‘climate leave’, if extreme weather makes it impossible to travel to work.

The Unite Trade Union is calling for new laws to protect workers from the effects of extreme weather.

Among the measures being sought is a legal obligation on employers to implement graduated alert-based responses, with non-essential outdoor work ceasing during orange/amber alerts and all non-essential work ceasing during red alerts.

Unite is also seeking paid “climate leave”, if extreme weather makes it impossible to travel to work, maximum temperatures at which work must cease, and legal recognition of temperature-related illnesses as occupational diseases as recommended by the International Labour Organisation.

“Workers are literally in the eye of the storm, and we urgently need specific legislation and regulations to protect workers from the impacts of extreme weather events,” said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham.

“Workers must not pay the price for a climate crisis not of their making,” Ms Graham said.

Unite have published a policy tool-kit titled “In the Eye of the Storm”, which includes a summary of responses to a survey of Unite members, together with a set of proposals designed to protect workers’ health.

In 2018, Unite member Matthew Campbell was killed while working outdoors during Storm Ali.  The electrical engineer died after being struck by a tree at Slieve Gullion Forest Park outside Newry, Co. Down.

INMO General Secretary and Irish Congress of Trade Unions president Phil Ní Sheaghdha said many workers cannot work from home when bad weather strikes.

“All employers must be compelled to prioritise staff safety and ensure that workers do not pay the price, financially or in terms of their wellbeing, for extreme weather events,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha said.

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PAY TRANSPARENCY BILL—

“The Government is to introduce new laws that will require employers to evaluate whether they are paying men and women working similar jobs comparable wages.

“Plans are underway for the introduction of a Pay Transparency Bill, which will force an employer with more than 50 employees to carry out a “gender neutral job evaluation” for every position in their company” (Irish Examiner,16.2.2026).

This evaluation will assess all aspects of a given role, including the skills and effort required, the level of responsibility, and working conditions.

This then provides each position with a score, with positions of equal value expected to be paid at a similar rate.

If it emerges during an evaluation that a male worker is being paid 5% or more above a female worker, for a job of the same value, the employer must work on a “joint pay assessment” to close the gap.

If this does not happen, the employee affected will be able to take a case at the Workplace Relations Commission. They will also be entitled to full compensation, which includes back pay and payment of legal costs.

The laws are being introduced as Ireland is required to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive, with the deadline for its introduction being in June 2026.

While the laws must be passed by June, there will be a lead-in time to allow employers carry out their evaluations.  Once an evaluation is completed, there won’t be a requirement for a further evaluation unless a new role is created.

It is likely the evaluations will become mandatory in 2027, a Government source indicated, with further supports for businesses likely to be provided.

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DISPOSABLE INCOME—Dublin and Limerick held the highest average disposable incomes in Ireland, based on 2024 Central Statistics Office figures, reported in February, 2026.  Limerick ranked second, surpassing Cork, with its high ranking attributed to the presence of multi-national companies.

The data shows people in Limerick had an average disposable income of €30,879, placing the County behind Dublin, which has a big concentration of very high earners, and slightly ahead of Cork at €30,748.

Average disposable income in Ireland has shown significant regional variation, with the Eastern and Midland region reaching €29,202 per person in 2023, representing an 8.9% growth.   While overall figures indicate growth, inflation has severely impacted household purchasing power, with lower-income households experiencing significant drops in real disposable income.

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US TRADE UNION Membership 2024—The Union membership rate—the percentage of wage and salary workers who were members of Unions—was 9.9% in 2024, little changed from the prior year, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported (28.1.2025).

The number of wage and salary workers belonging to Unions, at 14.3 million, also showed little movement over the year.  In 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available, the Union membership rate was 20.1%  and there were 17.7 million union members.

Highlights from the 2024 data:
• The union membership rate of public-sector workers (32.2%) continued to be more than five times higher than the rate of private-sector workers (5.9%).

• The highest unionisation rates were among workers in education, training, and library occupations (32.3%) and protective service occupations (29.6%).

• Men continued to have a higher Union membership rate (10.2%) than women (9.5%).

• Black workers remained more likely to be Union members than White,  Asian, and Hispanic workers.

• Non-Union workers had median weekly earnings that were 85% of earnings for workers who were Union members ($1,138 versus $1,337). 

(The comparisons of earnings in this news release are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be important in explaining differences in earnings.)

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A I :  Majority of Irish Workers now use AI—According to a report published by the Irish Independent on 17th February, 2026, 70% of Irish workers now use AI in their professional roles, with 50% of users reporting daily time savings of three or more hours. 

     Ireland leads globally in workplace AI adoption, though 58% of users report a lack of adequate training from employers.

New research from Indeed suggests Ireland is emerging as a global leader in workplace artificial intelligence adoption — but warns of a growing divide between workers who are benefiting from the technology and those at risk of being left behind.

The Indeed Workforce Insights Report, based on a survey of 80,000 workers across eight countries, shows that 70% of employed workers in Ireland use AI  at work at least once a month.

That compares with 43% in the United States, 41% in the UK and just 18% in Japan, placing Ireland firmly at the top of the international rankings.

The report highlights the role of employer encouragement as a decisive factor in adoption rates.

In Ireland, 37% of workers say their employer strongly encourages AI use, compared with only 12% in Japan.

Across all surveyed countries, employees whose employers actively promote AI are significantly more likely to use it—with adoption gaps ranging from 28% points in Ireland to 54 points in Japan.

Productivity gains are already being felt by many Irish workers.

Among AI users, 43% report saving one to two hours per day, while a further 44% say they save between three and five hours daily — the highest share in that category across the countries surveyed.

Only a small minority report no time savings.

Globally, more than 80% of AI users say they save at least one hour per day.

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REMOTE WORKING—The Labour Party, as well as a number of Trade Unions and campaign groups, have called for stronger remote working rights for employees.

A right to request remote working came into force in March 2024:  which obliges employers and employees to have regard to a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) code of practice when considering applications for remote working arrangements.

Workers can take a case to the WRC if they believe their employer has failed to fulfil their obligations under the code.

Labour, along with Forsa, the Financial Services Union, the National Women’s Council of Ireland, and One Family have all called for stronger legislation that would guarantee a right to remote working, as opposed to a right to request it.

Labour will introduce a Bill that includes an enforceable right to remote work where roles allow.

“Under current law, as long as the refusal is documented, it stands, no matter how arbitrary or outdated the reasoning”, said Labour TD Mark Wall.

“Labour’s Bill would change that by giving workers a clear, enforceable right to work remotely where their role allows, and by ending refusals based on habit, suspicion or a fixation with visibility instead of outcomes,” Mr. Wall said.

Niall Shanahan of the Forsa Trade Union said efforts by some employers to reduce flexible working for staff is short-sighted.  He pointed out—

“Pushing people back to the office ignores a number of big things, not the least among them is the housing crisis,” 

“It makes recruitment harder for younger people and it deepens inequality between those who can afford to live near the work, and those who can’t”, he added.

As of last month, the WRC had received 72 remote working complaints and 42 have been closed.

Just one has been upheld, 12 have been rejected, 5 were resolved by mediation, and 24 were withdrawn.

The remaining 30 complaints are awaiting a hearing and/or a decision by an Adjudication Officer.

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