S.I. No. 251/2019 - Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2019

1. An SEO Sick Pay Scheme should be a funded arrangement with contributions held in Trust and independently administered and managed. An SEO Sick Pay Scheme should facilitate participation by multiple employers to reflect the flexible nature of employment within the Sector.

2. The main purpose of an SEO Sick Pay Scheme is the provision of benefits for every worker for periods of illness or injury while in the employment of employers to whom this SEO applies.

3. The Sick Pay Benefit should be paid to each employee without the need for underwriting or reference to previous medical conditions. Entitlement to Sick Pay Benefits should be unaffected and uninterrupted as employees transfer from one employer to another within the Sector.

4. The Sick Pay Benefits provided by an SEO Sick Pay Scheme should be in addition to any sickness, illness or invalidity benefits payable by the State through the social insurance system.

Sick Pay Conditions & Benefits

5. Eligibility

Inclusion for Sick Pay Benefits will be automatic on becoming a member of an SEO Sick Pay Scheme. No charges should be incurred by either employers or members for Sick Pay benefit provision, other than the relevant contributions required to provide the benefits.

6. Sick Pay Contributions

a) An SEO Sick Pay Scheme should be a contributory sick pay scheme with contributions payable by both employers and employees.

b) A member shall not lose accrued Sick Pay Benefit rights or entitlements as a result of changing employment within the Sector as accrued service will transfer to the next employer to whom the SEO applies.

c) Employers who fail or neglect to make the authorised deduction shall be liable for the total contribution required to ensure that the worker’s Sick Pay Benefits are maintained in full for the period of service with them.

7. Relevant Benefits

a) An SEO Sick Pay Scheme shall provide for the payment of a standard Sick Pay Benefit for a specified duration and the benefit and duration should be disclosed to participating employers and members.

b) An SEO Sick Pay Scheme may include a waiting period during which a member would not be entitled to any benefit from the scheme whilst initially absent due to illness or injury. This waiting period should not exceed the first five working days of disability.

c) An SEO Sick Pay Scheme should facilitate continuity of Sick Pay Benefit from the Scheme from the first working day of disability where a claimant has returned to work for a period of two working days or less. This is provided that the sick pay entitlement from the scheme has not been exhausted by reference to the duration limitations referenced earlier.

d) An SEO Sick Pay Scheme should facilitate provision of a Supplementary Sick Pay Benefit if the claimant has no entitlement to Social Welfare benefit due to inadequate number of Social Welfare contributions.

e) An SEO Sick Pay Scheme may set appropriate limitations on the maximum duration for which a Sick Pay Benefit may be payable. These must be clearly documented and disclosed to participating employers and members. The maximum duration under an SEO Sick Pay Scheme should not be any lower than a period of 10 weeks in any calendar year, whether for a single claim or in aggregate in a scheme year.

GIVEN under my hand,

4 June 2019.

PAT BREEN,

Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

8. An existing pension scheme at the time the SEO comes into force may qualify as an SEO pension scheme provided it complies with the terms of the SEO or is adapted to so comply.

9. An SEO pension scheme must disclose and publicise information about the pension scheme’s charges and who bears them. There must be full transparency of charges and this information should be disclosed in the scheme’s Trustee Annual Report as well as provided to each member when joining. The total annual charges borne by members should be disclosed and must include all administration costs, Trustee costs, distribution costs, fund management costs, actuarial, accounting, legal and auditing fees and all other charges incurred by the SEO pension scheme.

10. Scheme Design

The terms and conditions applying under an SEO pension scheme and benefits to be provided must be at least as great as that described below.

10.1. Eligibility

An SEO pension scheme must at least provide for an employee of a participating employer in the Sector to be eligible for membership of the scheme provided they have attained age 20 but not yet attained age 65.

10.2. Relevant Pension Contributions

Employers and their employees working in the construction sector and related industries (the Sector) must contribute to an SEO pension scheme.

Contributions should be remitted by employers to an SEO pension scheme in accordance with all relevant pension and other legislative requirements.

10.3. Pension Benefits

a) Members’ pension benefits within an SEO pension scheme should be based on the full value of their individual pension funds and there should be no deductions from the contributions paid or when the funds are drawn down.

b) The Trustees of the Scheme will invest each member’s pension contributions and these along with the investment returns declared, net of charges, will determine the value of the member’s pension fund.

10.4. Retirement

Normal Retirement Age shall be age 65. However a member may be permitted to retire from age 60 (at the discretion of the scheme trustee). When a member retires, he or she should be able to choose from a range of options based on their entire fund value in line with applicable pension and tax legislation. One of the options which must be available is the provision of a pension for life for the member.

10.5. Death in Service Benefits

a) Every employer to whom the SEO applies must participate in an SEO pension scheme that provides a death in service benefit for the deceased member’s dependants. The death in service benefit should be in addition to the benefits provided for the dependants based on the full value of the member’s pension fund.

b) Provided the employee has completed a once-off initial qualifying contribution period, inclusion for death in service benefits shall be automatic on becoming a member of the SEO pension scheme, without medical underwriting or by reference to any previous medical conditions of the member. In the event of the member moving to another participating employer within the Sector, the member should not be required to complete any further qualifying period in order to be covered for death in service benefits.

c) Death in Service Contributions will form part of the overall contribution rate of an SEO pension scheme with a portion payable by both the member and employer in addition to the pension contributions.

d) Contributions should be remitted by employers to an SEO pension scheme in accordance with all relevant pension and other legislative requirements.

e) If a member had met the requirements for the full lump sum death in service benefit, but then leaves service and dies within four weeks of doing so without being re-employed in the Sector, the SEO pension scheme should provide a modified lump sum benefit in addition to the value of their pension account.

f) Death in Service benefits should be payable regardless of cause or timing of death, so long as the member meets the qualification conditions for inclusion for Death in Service benefits as set out above.

Appendix 2.

SICK PAY SCHEME

Every employer to whom the SEO applies must have in place a provision for Sick Pay benefits for each employee covered in the SEO.

Sick Pay Scheme Structure

The sick pay scheme to which the SEO applies (“

SEO Sick Pay Scheme

”) should include the following features and benefits.

Sick Pay Scheme Structure

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of

11

th June,

2019.

WHEREAS I, PAT BREEN, Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, being in receipt of a recommendation from the Labour Court under

section 16

of the

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015

(No. 27 of 2015) and being satisfied, having regard to the report referred to in subsection (3)(b) of that section accompanying the recommendation, that Chapter 3 of Part 2 of that Act has been complied with

NOW, I, PAT BREEN, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by subsection (1) of

section 17

of the

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015

(No. 27 of 2015) (as adapted by the Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2017 (

S.I. No. 364 of 2017

)) and the Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 (

S.I. No. 569 of 2017

), hereby make the following order with respect to which, pursuant to subsection (4) of section 17 of that Act, a draft has been laid before each House of the Oireachtas and a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by each such house