Dáil debates

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

4:00 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Deputy Adams will be aware that, in the case of reform of the joint labour committees, JLCs, and registered employment agreements, REAs, the process of making employment regulation orders, EROs, was found by the High Court to be unconstitutional, together with an identified lack of adequate Oireachtas scrutiny of the process. That supports the case for the main features of the recommendations for reform put forward in the Duffy Walsh report. Following the High Court ruling of July 2011, the Government's priority has been to prepare and deliver a comprehensive reform package because the implications of the judgment are not confined to the joint labour committee system. A programme of reform of the JLC and REA systems is required to address all the recommendations for reform put forward in the report, as well as the broad implications of the High Court ruling in the John Grace Fried Chicken case.

There was a constructive Second Stage debate in this House and following further consultations with the social partners and other interests a number of amendments were introduced on Committee Stage to strengthen or clarify certain provisions of the Bill. These include provisions dealing with the principles and policies applying to the framing of REAs and EROs, the timeframe for those provisions and the granting of temporary exemptions from the obligation to pay the terms prescribed under EROs and REAs.

I would like to think that the work the Minister, Deputy Bruton, is doing on structural reform will be in the interest of everybody because it will provide a resolution process where a complaint is lodged. To a great extent the Croke Park agreement has delivered industrial peace. A number of cases have been ongoing for some time but the agreement has to be implemented in full and expedited to meet our own targets. We want a process that is clear, straightforward and works so that where legitimate complaints arise they can be resolved satisfactorily and people and businesses are allowed to conduct their affairs in the interest of the economy, the country and both workers and management. That is why the machinery of the State has been tried and tested in severe circumstances over the years and it is always available to deal with concerns or disputes such as those mentioned by Deputy Adams.

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