Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to discuss issues raised in the motion and the Government amendment and the improvements the Government has made, and is preparing, to improve the protection framework for workers. We have made considerable improvements over the past decade, many of them geared towards addressing new challenges in the labour market in a changing world of work and working relationships.

New forms of employment have posed new challenges for Governments in Ireland and across the globe. For decades we have tried to build up a high-quality social protection framework, with clearly defined relationships and responsibilities for workers and their employers. This framework contains transparent and easily accessible routes for redress when there has been a breakdown in employment relationships.

Some of the areas of concern to be addressed in the course of this evening's debate are also being addressed in other EU member states, some of which are now considering whether to introduce a minimum wage. The minimum wage was introduced in Ireland in April 2000 and is the second highest in Europe. We are often berated for having a high minimum wage and it is regrettable that in debates such as this our substantial progress on workers' rights is not acknowledged. If it was, the debate would be more balanced and there would be less of the rhetoric that comes to dominate debates of this kind.

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