David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is a matter for this committee. First, a case cannot be taken by a person until he or she has been working six months. At the very minimum, it would be six months before an employee could request that his or her contract would reflect the hours he or she works.

The issues that Deputy Neville raised can be teased out and amendments tabled. These are rare examples of difficulties. I do not want those issues to take away from the reality. The vast majority of employers are decent and have worked with trade unions who represent their employees. They give workers secure and proper contracts. For those employers who refuse to engage with trade unions, or to engage with their employees on these if and when contracts, leading to industrial disputes because of the serious nature of these contracts, one has to have some mechanism in place. Banded hours contracts have worked across a number of different sectors and companies have put them in place used voluntarily. In that context the examples that Deputy Neville cited are the exception.

The Bill addresses the companies that are exploiting their workers and are refusing to give workers contracts which reflect the hours they work. If there are unintended consequences in this Bill, and there could be, then it is the work of the members of the committee, working with my colleagues to amend the Bill sufficiently. If members agree in principle with the Bill, which people say they do, then there is no reason the Bill cannot progress.