Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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There is an obvious trend in what is being articulated by a number of the organisations here today and I agree with much of it. There are particular flaws within this Bill, as has been highlighted by some members of the committee. As I stated from the outset, the nub of this is getting at unscrupulous employers who exploit employees, as the witnesses mentioned. That is the intention but it is a matter of how we go at this, particularly with regard to smaller businesses. I have worked in small retail businesses through the years. They are a flatter type of organisation and the owner of the business might get quite close to the staff and vice versa. The staff would have a good handle on how the business performs. It is not that there would be layers of management that could sometimes obscure information or massage the figures because the employees are so removed from the commercial side or figures in the business. The people running a cash register or counter in a drapery shop would know what way the sales are going. Over a period they get to know the business and understand when it fluctuates. I understand the sense in that. I asked the other witnesses as well about focusing on what is termed "unscrupulous employers". Given that the issue has been around for a while - perhaps before my time as I was elected to this House last year - have any studies been done by the organisations leading to statistics about unscrupulous employers either inside or outside the organisations?