Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I am sharing time with Deputy Ó Caoláin. Cuirim fáilte leis an Bille. Sinn Féin is determined to secure the reinstatement of the joint labour committees. The safeguards contained in JLC legislation were designed to prevent low paid workers from being exploited by unscrupulous employers but, despite the Government's assurances that legislation to re-establish JLCs would be accorded the highest priority, low paid workers have been left in limbo. They cannot afford to wait any longer.

I welcome the Minister's statement, particularly in respect of his proposals to introduce a robust JLC system, simplify rates and tackle anomalies in the Sunday premium. It is reasonable to ask when we are going to see the promised legislation, however. Personally, I do not give a damn who introduces the legislation as long as safeguards are put in place for those on minimum wages. There is no magic wand but the legislation before us will bring us closer to that solution. The principle behind the Bill is safeguarding workers in this sector, who are sick to their teeth waiting for this to happen. I cannot understand the Government's reluctance to act. Its inertia means people who are already struggling to cope on meagre wages face the prospect of further reductions to their incomes. I can only surmise that the delay is more to with difficulties within the Government than with problems of drafting.

When the High Court ruling that deemed the operation of the JLC system unconstitutional was laid down in July, the cost of living was spiralling and the gap between the haves and have nots was widening. Earlier this year I was part of a Sinn Féin delegation that met trade union officials and workers in the sector who were campaigning vigorously to retain the protections afforded by JLCs. I made clear to the meeting my support for them and Sinn Féin's determination to resist any attempt by the Government to erode further workers' rights.

The failure to reinstate the JLC system has far reaching implications for thousands of families on low incomes. Last March, Dr. Michelle O'Sullivan, an industrial relations expert from the University of Limerick, testified in the High Court Commercial Court that the conditions which 60 years ago led to the establishment of a system for setting minimum pay and conditions for 190,000 vulnerable and low paid workers still exist. With an estimated 442,000 unemployed, matters can only get worse as demand for jobs outstrips availability.

Six out of 100 workers in the catering sector are members of trade unions. The JLC system offers a negotiating forum for workers who would otherwise be denied a voice. It is an important mechanism for protecting wages and conditions for the low paid, the majority of whom earn less than €10 per hour. If they are abolished, there will be a disproportionate impact on women, many of whom are employed in service industries. Without the proper checks and balances, there will be a dramatic increase in the working poor, more families being subjected to the cycle of poverty and more workers forced onto the dole or into the bearpit to fight each other over subsistence wages.

My fear that the Government is prepared to bring to an end wage protection for those on low incomes appears to be well founded. The net result of this policy will be even lower wages, which in turn will greatly reduce people's spending power, force low paid workers onto social welfare and dependence on the State and decrease the country's tax base.

It is a myth that abolishing JLCs will improve competitiveness. It will result in a race to the bottom with unscrupulous employers gaining the freedom to pay derisory wages and ethical employers having to follow suit in order to compete. The JLC system not only benefits vulnerable workers but also guards employers against unethical business rivals who might otherwise undercut wages and erode standards in areas such as catering and security. Sinn Féin is not opposed to reforming and improving JLCs and ERAs but we will not accept vulnerable sections of society being made to pay for the greed of bankers and developers nor will we support changes in employment legislation that further increase the gap between those who are well paid and those who never enjoyed a decent wage. I welcome the Minister's legislative proposals but he needs to implement them sooner rather than later.

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