Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

No, I am talking about some of the most vulnerable workers in the State. This group of workers come here for very short periods in some cases and anyone who has worked as an organiser in the union movement will confirm that it is very difficult to organise them. They are very often frightened and conditions in which some of them work are horrendous, as we know from reports by the MRCI. Regarding this group of workers specifically, who looks after their employment rights and entitlements and how many employers have been found to be in breach of those rights and entitlements? It seems that there is not a major obligation on employers in this regard. How many employers have been found to be in breach of terms of work permits?

A good point was made by a previous speaker concerning these workers being tied to one employer, which makes them different to all other workers in the State. It makes these people more vulnerable. Who is looking after these people under the existing legislation? I do not think we can in good conscience ask employers to look after these people, because I think the State has an obligation to them. To address how that is being done, let us assume for a moment that not all employers are angels, no more than are all workers. How many employers have been tackled for breaches of this legislation, even in the past year or two?