Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 10:

In page 13, after line 41, to insert the following:"(e) the percentage of workers in the identified economic sector earning two-thirds or less of median income;

(f) the pervasiveness of part time and/or short hour contracts in the identified economic sector;”

This amendment reflects an ongoing conversation I have had with the Minister of State, Deputy Nash. Section 15 sets out the matters a court shall take into account when it makes a recommendation. These include levels of employment and unemployment and competitiveness in the particular economic sector. Although they are intended to assist the court in finding a balance between employers' and employees' claims, they are described through the prism of an employer's perspective. As legislators we should also take account of other issues, including the high percentage of workers on low pay in this State. My amendment would require the court to have regard to workers earning two-thirds or less than the median income, which is the definition of low pay, and the pervasiveness of part-time or short-time contracts. Given that the Minister of State has committed to dealing with the issue of low pay, it is strange that the issue is not included in this Bill.