Chairman:

Míle buíochas as sin. I will open up with some questions. Nobody has indicated they wish to ask a question yet. There are good laws governing this area. There are regulatory bodies tasked with ensuring those laws are delivered in an equal fashion. We also know there are significant problems and in the past couple of weeks a number of individuals have felt their only recourse for a resolution of their difficulties was to go to the media. We owe a debt of gratitude to the individuals who have done that. It can often mean career suicide and it is a very brave thing to do. We need to thank them for it.

Two important issues come out of this. First is how we create a culture where this type of practice does not happen. What is our response to these types of activities? I read with interest the Equity document. It is very strong. Two or three figures really stand out for me there. One is the high number of freelance individuals working within it which means there is a precarious work structure there. Elsewhere when we look at precarious work, people tell us they are fearful of raising their voices because they may not get another contract in the future. The other is the high number of people - over 60% - who felt they have been bullied. Over 70% of those state they did not want to report it because they felt it would negatively affect the next job they got. They are startling figures. The other element that can sometimes create such a culture is a situation in which there is a very weak workforce where people cannot stand up for themselves. Precarious work causes that. There are possibly also individuals in particular roles who are very powerful and who do not have the necessary oversight. The power imbalance is radical and therefore can be abused. The other issue is there is not an adequate level of accountability. What is Equity Ireland's view on those kind of power differentials and how can they best be resolved? Is there something we need to do with the contracts of work? Is there a need to have more people employed directly to strengthen workers' rights and entitlements? Is that flexibility needed within the system?