Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

Amendments Nos. 33 and 34 deal with the trigger mechanism relating to the obligation on the part of the employer to engage in consultation with employees. The Minister of State has rightly pointed out that many good practices have been built up over the years in partnerships, arising from the model of national partnership, the effects of which have trickled down into the workplace. The workplace partnership model is currently in vogue. In order to enhance the prospects of workplace partnership, it is important that existing models are taken into account in building constructive partnerships between employers and employees. We all accept that if a company wants to progress, it is better that it has employees on board, in terms of the objectives of the company, through that partnership model rather than having them left out of the loop.

The basis for my amendment is that 10%, as stated in the directive and legislation, is quite low. In order to ensure there is a significant number of employees in a company with a serious concern about a lack of consultation, 25% is a more appropriate level at which to establish the trigger mechanism, or in larger companies, a minimum of 250 employees.

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