Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Irish Film Workers Association and the GMB for further educating me about the nature of the industry. For many people, it is an industry that is about the glamorous stuff. It is a very important step forward that the people behind the scenes, who do critical work but are rarely seen, get a chance to speak up about their situation. The picture they paint, as I said at the last committee, is a fairly bleak one in terms of the treatment of workers in the industry.

I will ask a few questions to allow the witnesses to elaborate on some of the points they have made. From our point of view as a committee, some of the allegations the witnesses are making are very serious and I would have thought we, as a committee and as Members of the Oireachtas, have a serious responsibility to look into them. If I understand Mr. Arkins, he is saying there is an illegal agreement in place currently in the film industry, which is an agreement between some unions and Screen Producers Ireland that sets down conditions of employment and hours of employment that are illegal. Is that correct? Obviously, if that is correct, it would be very serious indeed and we would have a responsibility as a committee. Mr. Arkins has obviously spelled out that this is the case but I would like him to confirm and underline that.