Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

In Sinn Féin we believe that workers' rights are human rights. As such, all workers should be entitled to expect equal access to, and enforcement of, their rights.

In stark contrast, this Government is happy to create different levels of rights. Current Government policies have made migrant workers particularly vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous and greedy employers. Even within the category of migrant worker there exists a variety of different levels of rights regarding fair pay, the ability to change employer and the accompaniment of one's family. The top tier of migrant workers in this State, that is, those on higher incomes, have considerably greater rights and freedoms than lower income migrant workers. This Government's practice of discrimination on the basis of socioeconomic grounds runs contrary to Sinn Féin's belief in the equality of all workers.

The message from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, was that inequality is good for the economy. That was a signal to employers that they could go ahead and trample on the rights of workers.

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