All white on the night: a young man and woman enjoy the snow in Rathmines, Dublin, last week

Staff who have been unable to turn up for work because of the Arctic conditions over the last week face the prospect of losing annual leave for the days missed. In some circumstances, they could be docked pay for their period of absence.

Last week, the National Employment Rights Authority, the state body which polices workers' rights, and the employers' body Ibec, warned that employers were not legally obliged to pay workers during their absence.

Even where businesses are forced to close because of the bad weather and lay off workers temporarily, employers are not obliged to pay workers.

With a draconian budget and Christmas just around the corner, this could not come at a worse time for the 160,000 workers who were absent from work last week because of the weather.

But Ibec also advised employers that they should reach agreement with staff on how en­forced absences would be dealt with. Employers should examine situations where employees "make an effort to come into work or are delayed and have to leave early in order to avail of limited public transport or where weather conditions deteriorate during the working day".

It may be feasible for staff to work at home in such circumstances, Ibec told its members. "Where an employee cannot attend and cannot carry out his or her normal duties, the option of annual leave or unpaid time off should be presented," it advised.