Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There has been some commentary about NERA's involvement in this company and its employees. While Deputy Joan Collins is aware the authority acts utterly independently in these matters, it is its practice to instigate investigations where there are allegations of breaches of employment rights legislation, as would be appropriate for it to do. There have also been calls generally for a Government task force to investigate the operation of the sector as a whole. I am aware that in his response yesterday to the general secretary of SIPTU, the Minister noted that being mindful that the need for proper compliance with legislation is in the workers' and the wider public interest, he is seeking reports from the relevant agencies under his Department, that is, the Health and Safety Authority, the National Employment Rights Authority, the National Consumer Agency, the Competition Authority and the Labour Relations Commission, LRC, and on the operation of the wider sector itself. This work has commenced and will be concluded as a matter of some urgency.

In respect of State workers, under the Employment Agency Act 1971, the employment agency must hold a licence if it is to carry on its business and NERA's workplace relations licensing section is responsible for issuing employment agency licences. It is a matter for NERA to oversee the operation of the employment legislation in this regard. SIPTU has written to the Minister alleging that a company is providing agency workers to Greyhound, which is displacing its members and sustaining the lock-out and that the company in question is not registered on the list of licensed employment agencies. That is a matter for the relevant section in NERA to deal with that.

Obviously, the former Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, launched a consultation paper in November 2013. It received 91 submissions which are being considered and evaluated. In the immediate term, I urge everybody concerned to avail of the facilities of the State mechanism for dealing with this, in order that the dispute might be brought to an end.

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