Time off work for medical appointments- boss not playing ball

Luker

I was in hospital for a week this year. My employer paid me 5 days sick pay. I have needed to take a few days off to go for check ups etc and I have been taking these as a days holidays. Now my employer is saying the days off are problematic. I tried explaining that the hospital is 3 hours commute so I need to take the full day. I offered to work a weekend day instead but she said no to that aswell.

I will need 3 more appointments over the coming weeks. Can I (if I wanted) take these days at my own expense- employer not pay me and I don’t use holidays? Hard to find up to date information

Ezeoul

….

buster180

They have to give you time off for medical appointments, They don't have to pay you but they must give you the time off.

Luker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266488#Comment_122266488

thank you. That’s what I thought. As I say I’ve been using them as holidays up until now not to have any trouble but now that’s an inconvenience taking random days holidays. I’d quite happily take an unpaid day too

buster180

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266529#Comment_122266529

If you have a HR manager in the job go to them and explain your situation to them.

Luker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122266589#Comment_122266589

There lies the issue. It’s a husband and wife that run the company. She does all the HR stuff and he avoids it like the plague.

Tefral

Unpaid leave for medical care was introduced on 3 July 2023.

It gives you 5 days unpaid leave if you need to take time off work to deal with serious medical care for a child or other relevant person like a family member. The leave is available to both parents and carers – see ‘Who can apply?’ below.

You don’t have to give your employer notice to take the leave in emergency circumstances. You should give notice if it’s possible to.

The law covering leave for medical care is the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023.

Unpaid leave for medical care is different to force majeure leave, which is paid leave for an urgent family crisis.

You must give confirmation to your employer in writing that you want to apply for (or have already taken) the leave. You should do this as soon as reasonably practical. You must also sign this confirmation.

Your signed confirmation must contain:

• The start date
• Length of the leave
• A statement of fact (explaining why you are entitled to the leave).

Your employer must keep the confirmation document and give you a written acknowledgment that they received the confirmation.

Luker

that’s great, thank you