Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's initial question asked whether enterprise-level agreements will be sectorally applied. Those agreements would not be sectorally applied, of course, because they are agreed between two contracting parties, in many respects. Broadly speaking, the registered employment agreements would be applied across a sector, as was the case with the registered employment agreements system that was struck down in the McGowan case two years ago.

As a Government, we have worked hard to ensure that the wage-setting mechanisms sought by the Construction Industry Federation, CIF, and trade unions address two matters, those being, to ensure that reputable employers have a level playing pitch when tendering for work and that standards and training in the construction industry are protected. This is important if Ireland is to have a competitive advantage. Wage-setting mechanisms, joint industrial councils and so on ensured that there were always high standards of training in the construction industry. It is also important to ensure that there is not a race to the bottom in terms of workers' pay.

We have worked hard to re-establish a registered employment agreement, REA, system. Six sectors of the economy were covered by the previous regime. Deputy Tóibín and colleagues have engaged heavily in the pre-legislative scrutiny process. I look forward to that continuing.

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