Dr. Michelle O'Sullivan:

With all legislation there can be potential for unintended consequences. On initial reading of the Bill as drafted I thought it would have given some rights to everybody in terms of requesting hours, but I understand from previous committee debates and reading the sponsoring Deputy's Bill that this was not the intention of the Bill and that it was meant for people who have a difference between the reality of work and their contract. There are other measures in it where issues could be clarified. The biggest one, which is related to the opening statement, is trying to clarify who it is protecting. That is the initial definition of the worker, which is extremely important. Unless the issue of employment status is tackled comprehensively, it might have only limited applicability to certain types of workers.