Sir, – Allowing five days of unpaid leave to care for a sick relative means the employer must either find extra staff to cover those on unpaid leave or pay overtime to existing employees. Either way, this is an increased cost to employers that must be passed on to the consumer. Human nature being what it is means that many employees will just consider those five days as part of their annual holiday entitlement. Similarly, the largesse of the Government in providing a new public holiday as reward for the difficulties experienced over Covid will be a cost to employers, not the Government, which must also be passed on to consumers. Employers do not absorb costs; they must factor them into their pricing structure if they are to remain viable. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL MOYLES,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.