Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am going to read into the record correspondence I received from the general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, IFUT. I am sure the Minister will be aware of this correspondence, which is dated 25 January last and which states:

Upon examination of the proposed legislation, it is my concern that the existing draft fails to address the pressing trade union concerns regarding the improvement of terms and conditions of employment for Researchers funded through the new entity established under the legislation. Specifically, I believe that the current draft lacks the necessary ambition to rectify this matter and overlooks the potential of the legislation to address the deficient collective bargaining cover within this sector. It is crucial to note that the upcoming transposition of the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages into law by November imposes an obligation on the Government to ensure that the proportion of workers represented in collective bargaining increases to 80 percent.

I am aware the Minister has previously addressed this and said it is the funders or the HEIs that must have regard to or responsibility for the terms and conditions for individual workers. That is broadly accepted. The terms and conditions of employment or the conditions under which many of researchers work nowadays are quite precarious and there is enough evidence of that. What we are trying to here, which the Minister will see, is to inculcate within the culture of this new entity a recognition of the need to ensure where the research council, which will comprise what we will call front-line researchers, is concerned that the broader board would have due regard to that situation and seek to ensure it will use its influence to ensure workers' rights are upheld. It is as simple as that.