Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the proposal by colleagues opposite and on the general area of employee protection. Members on all sides of the House are anxious to ensure the protection of employees is paramount in our employment relations law. That concern is not exclusive to any particular party or group, although we may have different approaches to it. The Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, has gone through the technical intricacies of the Bill and I will not attempt to match him in that regard. Instead, I will refer to a particular example that is relevant in the context of this discussion.

Last Friday I attended a dinner hosted by Arklow Chamber of Commerce which was sponsored by two companies, Arklow Shipping and Servier Industries Limited. The latter is a French biopharmaceutical company which has been established for some years in Arklow. It is a foundation whose president, Dr. Servier, is over 90 years of age and still runs the organisation. Several years ago the company, which has plants in locations throughout the world, lost a particular production line to Australia, whereupon the conclusion was reached that the problem was in regard to its cost base. Action was taken to address this to the extent that last week the company was able to offer a new incentive package of increments to all staff and an announcement that the particular product line has been reclaimed. What this shows is that for this specific company, the staff are king and the input and co-operation of the workforce is valued. It is a very successful model of operation, with all profits ploughed back into the company and no shareholders or high powered board of directors demanding a piece of the pie. The company has competed for more than 50 years on an international basis in what is a very competitive industry.

There is a lesson here to which we all should give our attention. Were more companies globally and in this State run according to that model, we would have much happier and healthier workplaces. I have been impressed down the years with the way in which Servier Industries Limited has recruited locally and engaged with institutes of technologies and colleges to ensure a continuing stream of workers, from the indigenous community where possible but not exclusively. Many of the issues raised in this Bill are set against the background of an adversarial model of employer-worker relations. It does not have to be that way, but there is no denying that disputes will inevitably arise. In that context, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, the Minister of State, Deputy Sean Sherlock, and others are working hard to improve the laws relating to the protection of employees. Some of the provisions in this Bill would have a negative impact in terms of employers contemplating taking on staff, even apart from the implications for industrial relations thereafter. We must be careful to ensure any proposed measures are considered in a steady and cautious manner. The rights commissioner hearings have been reduced in any case, and they have achieved the targets set. The Bill seeks to establish in law aspirations that are not necessarily required. The Government is working towards a model that will satisfy all concerns in regard to employee protections. I thank the Sinn Féin Members for bringing this legislation to the floor of the House for discussion.

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