Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for being here and for the information they have provided. I am a massive fan of co-ops, specifically workers' co-ops. I have some small experience in working with, though not in, a workers' co-op. They are the foundation for and a fundamental part of a functioning economy that gives back to society and delivers for the workers. Co-ops can be a real force for good in challenging inequality. We all know about the 1% and "for the many, not the few" and all of that. This is welcome legislation and I look forward to the debates we will have in the future. Will this legislation specifically recognise and protect workers' co-ops? All co-ops have some similarities, and while it could be said we all have a vested interest in our jobs, in a workers' co-op, everyone in the job has a real and serious vested interest in how the co-op functions. In my experience, a workers' co-op is a democratically run company. Unfortunately, we tend to see workers' co-ops more in the service industry, in cafés and that kind of thing, but if we get this Bill right, we could see workers' co-ops take off in a serious way. Will workers' co-ops be specifically recognised and protected under this Bill?