Ms Lorraine Mulligan:

I will start on the question of decent work that was addressed at the start, the question of whether targets at EU level would be appropriate for part-time and temporary workers. It is actually quite a complex area, because for many people if the choice to enter into part-time work is voluntary it may suit their child care arrangements or other commitments. The key thing is not so much to have a target on numbers, rather to track and be able to monitor the quality of temporary and part-time employment. Indeed the EU has potential to have a role in this regard. The Commission is currently undertaking analysis of the problem of zero hour contracts to see if there can be EU standards in that area. Domestically, a key requirement is to enable free access to trade union representation, so that people can have a quality employment experience.

Equally, the joint labour committees, JLC, mechanism which has been re-established under the Labour Party-Fine Gael Government is a key way of monitoring the quality of employment in the workplace. The problem is not so much meeting targets but rather ensuring there are proper rules and standards for employment and implementing them and that issues like zero-hour contracts are dealt with. There are examples of successful initiatives, particularly in the retail sector, where there are contracts with terms for a minimum number of hours or provision for some kind of reimbursement. It is an issue that has a varied response depending on whether it is a voluntary, involuntary, part-time or temporary working arrangement.

Deputy Eric Byrne mentioned the living wage. The evidence from the London and Scottish living wage campaigns is that there are very substantial benefits for employers in terms of retention of staff, reduced absenteeism, a higher level of morale, an economic dividend at the workplace level and for workers who are depending on very low wages and are struggling. More to the point, there is a big benefit to the State. Currently, the State subsidises low pay through family income support and other in-work benefits. The taxpayer is subsidising that situation. There are very real benefits to implementing a living wage and providing people with a decent standard of living so that they can have access to the benefits of education and other opportunities in their lives. On that note, the concept of decent work also has to take into account training and the role of the employer in that regard. The area of apprenticeships could be developed. SIPTU has made submissions to the apprenticeship council on developing apprenticeships in the childcare sector which is an undervalued area. If people are afforded professional standards and a real career path, that area could be developed. The transference of skills from the construction sector to the green economy can be pursued through the apprenticeship model. The same applies to the hotel and restaurant sectors, which have been casualised and where the issue of precarious work has been a problem because there is no proper career path for people. Apprenticeships are key. The role of employers in funding and supporting apprenticeships has to be underlined.