David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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In response to Senator Gavan citing the remark on the non-existent problem, I have not seen that but I have heard that said by some employer organisations in the past. I was an Oireachtas Member who worked with Members from all parties and none during my last term to develop a report on low pay supported by all parties. When I engaged with some of the employer organisations, and I did so in good faith, they were very good at telling us where there is no problem from their perspective but where we know there are problems and when they acknowledge there is a problem, they were not very good at coming up with solutions. In respect of the issue of low hour contracts, if and when contracts, is the University of Limerick study wrong? When I stood on picket lines with workers who were affected by this, was this my imagination or were they real people? We have had many discussions in the Dáil on precarious work and if and when contracts; we all deal with people they affect. This is a real problem that does not just apply to the retail sector but across a number of sectors. Those of us who are privileged to be in full-time employment and to have decent salaries and decent contracts must remember there are many who do not and we have a responsibility to address those problems.

Some who are critical of the Bill talk about the need for the proposed legislation to achieve balance.

The Bill is the balance. That is the point. There is no balance currently as there is no recourse for employees. I would ask anybody, whether it is an Oireachtas Member, an employer or an employer organisation, why some people who are working 30 or 40 hours per week for a sustained period are not entitled to a contract reflective of the hours they do. What is so wrong with that? If they can tell me what is wrong with that, they should also tell the people affected by this. They should listen to those workers who are genuinely affected by it.

I will let the employer organisations speak for themselves. I have at all times sought to deal constructively with both the trade unions and employers in dealing with these types of problems. I encourage them, if they feel this is not a solution, to tell me what is the solution. Everybody seems to always have an alternative solution to the one presented. This is an earnest attempt to deal with a very real problem.