Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will pursue the issue of service charges. From the earlier contributions of the restaurant owners and hoteliers, they appear to be very eager to have this Bill passed as it will reclassify what is commonly understood to be a service charge. We have to be very concerned about that and get out that message. The Low Pay Commission should review the report it issued on the basis that service charges, which it believed were going to workers, are not going to them. It could express concern about what is being reclassified by the hoteliers and restaurant owners.

Dr. Curran is right that only 7% of workers in the hospitality industry are members of trade unions.

A targeted campaign is being conducted by the Unite union whereby it is going into workplaces, talking to workers and encouraging them to get active and raise their voices. A meeting will be held on Wednesday, 16 October in Wynn's Hotel and we hope large numbers of workers will attend and give that screaming, silent frustration a voice. That said, it is going to be very difficult to organise. Julia, who is with us today, worked in the Ivy restaurant but was sacked for joining a union. She is now organising the hospitality sector in Dublin. Her experiences in the restaurant trade were both good and bad but mainly bad. There is a real need for the Legislature to pass a Bill that is worth the paper it is written on. Hopefully, the Low Pay Commission will review the report it prepared.