Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)

Yesterday was May Day, a day on which workers throughout the world march, organise and remember their long tradition and the difficulties faced by them, not only in Ireland but throughout Europe and many other parts of the world. There were thousands of people in cities throughout the world demanding better rights and opportunities for themselves and fellow workers. It is apt that we are speaking about workers' rights and how we can play our part in improving the lives of ordinary people in this country. When the financial crisis hit this country, it was low and middle income earners who were forced to bear the brunt of the mistakes made by bankers and developers.

In the past year we have seen a number of examples of workers' struggle, including Vita Cortex, La Senza and Lagan Brick. These were dedicated workers who are being cheated out of fair redundancy packages. The Bill would not address all of the issues relating to workers' rights and redundancy entitlement, but it is a step in the right direction. It aims to ensure workers would receive their redundancy entitlements in a reasonable timeframe. After years of work, it is the least to which workers should be entitled. The most recent figures indicate that there is a backlog of approximately 29,000 statutory redundancy claims in the pipeline, which is a disgrace.

The Bill attempts to lengthen the notification period in collective redundancies from 30 days to 60 where companies have 20 to 99 employees and from 30 days to 90 where companies have 100 plus employees. It seeks to ensure workers in companies which are insolvent in all but name would be entitled to apply for payment from the insolvency fund after their company had ceased trading for over 60 days. It would put in place a maximum period of 60 days after a determination of the Labour Court or the Employment Appeals Tribunal in which to have their entitlements paid to them from the insolvency fund. Where a decision is not made within 60 days, the Minister would be required to issue a statement on the matter within 30 days and publish further updates at intervals of every 30 days until the matter was determined.

The Bill is only a small part of what is needed to improve the conditions of workers. Parties should set aside partisan politics and work together to introduce this legislation and more like it to ensure workers would have better conditions. Further ideas could be explored in the way we make redundancy payments. In many European countries such as Germany workers receive on a weekly basis a payment approximating to their wages for a fixed period, complemented by training provided by the State. This approach would provide an incentive for workers made redundant to up-skill and retrain and ultimately make the task of getting back into the workforce easier.

Today I met workers from Irish Cement-CRH who are being deprived of their legal rights by their employers. At the meeting there were Fine Gael, Labour Party, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Independent Deputies present - there was also a Minister present - all of whom undertook to support the workers in every way possible. This is their opportunity. They should vote for the Bill. If it is not perfect, they should seek to amend it as it passes through the Houses, but they should deliver on the promise they made to the workers. They should do something to improve their rights. Supporting the Bill is the right thing to do.

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