Redundancy Payments Act 2003

Amendment of Schedule 3 to Principal Act (Amount of lump sum).

12.—Schedule 3 to the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by substituting the following for paragraph 5:

“5. Where an employee's period of service has been interrupted by any one of the following—

(a) any period by reason of—

(i) sickness,

(ii) lay-off,

(iii) holidays,

(iv) service by the employee in the Reserve Defence Forces of the State,

(v) any cause (other than the voluntary leaving of the employment concerned by the employee) not mentioned in clauses (i) to (iv) but authorised by the employer,

(b) a period during which an adopting parent was absent from work while on adoptive leave or additional adoptive leave under the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 ,

(c) a period during which an employee was absent from work while on—

(i) additional maternity leave, protective leave or natal care absence within the meaning of the Maternity Protection Act 1994,

(ii) parental leave or force majeure leave within the meaning of the Parental Leave Act 1998 , or

(iii) carer's leave within the meaning of the Carer's Leave Act 2001 ,

(d) any period during which an employee was absent from work because of a lock-out by the employer or because the employee was participating in a strike, whether such absence occurred before or after the commencement of this Act,

continuity of employment shall not be broken by such interruption whether or not notice of termination of the contract of employment has been given.”,

(b) by substituting the following for paragraph 8:

“8. During, and only during, the 3 year period ending with the date of termination of employment, none of the following absences shall be allowable as reckonable service—

(a) absence in excess of 52 consecutive weeks by reason of an occupational accident or disease within the meaning of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993 ,

(b) absence in excess of 26 consecutive weeks by reason of any illness not referred to in subparagraph (a),

(c) absence by reason of lay-off by the employer.

8A. The following absences shall be allowable as reckonable service:

(a) a period during which an adopting parent was absent from work while on adoptive leave under the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 ,

(b) a period during which an employee was absent from work while on—

(i) additional maternity, protective leave or natal care absence within the meaning of the Maternity Protection Act 1994,

(ii) parental leave or force majeure leave within the meaning of the Parental Leave Act 1998 , or

(iii) carer's leave within the meaning of the Carer's Leave Act 2001 ,

(c) any absences not mentioned in paragraphs (a) or (b) but authorised by the employer.”,

and

(c) by substituting the following for paragraph 10:

“10. During, and only during, the 3 year period ending with the date of termination of employment, absence from work by reason of a strike in the business or industry in which the employee concerned is employed shall not be allowable as reckonable service.”.