Mr. John Boyle:

I was at a very interesting event last Friday. It was the Irish Labour History Society's 50th anniversary conference and it had a series of events. I chaired a discussion on planning for a better education system on the island of Ireland. A former principal teacher, Lexie Scott from Ballymena, who was twice the president of the Ulster Teachers Union. One of the key issues was the diversity on the island nowadays and to make sure that in any future planning all faiths, beliefs and creeds and none would be accommodated. It was obviously drawing attention to the fact that we have a much more culturally diverse island at this point.

We were reflecting on the influence of the European Union on workers' rights and we were specifically discussing teachers. Now that part of the island is no longer in the Union, concern was expressed that the rights for workers in the South would continue to advance. For example, as I mentioned the Oireachtas recently passed Bills relating to adoptive leave where same-sex couples are now accommodated within the leave arrangements, which is very welcome. A few more Bills were passed and some are in the mix at the moment. For quite a while, we have been campaigning on reproductive health issues and for leave after pregnancy laws and so on. Were the Oireachtas to consider those and bring them forward, there is probably not the same momentum behind these things in the North particularly when there is no Assembly at the moment. All in all, the biggest concern is that with one part being outside the EU the rights would improve in one area and not in the other. We would certainly have a dream that whatever accommodation we come to politically, workers in north Antrim or in west Cork would have the same rights and entitlements, that they would have the same employment opportunities and that they could choose to move within the island rather than forcing people to move to another jurisdiction where they feel they would be looked after better.

It is complicated but I am glad for sure that the discussion is happening.