Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the spirit of the amendments. There have been situations, some that received publicity and some that did not, in which workers have been left high and dry while other creditors were catered for. Workers have been forced to occupy places of employment in order to get basic rights. The amendments would establish an institution that would, hopefully, give workers much quicker access to their rights in the event of a dispute. The inclusion of the amendments would send a message that in the event of the forced closure of a business, workers cannot be treated as some sort of commodity, that they are people rather than some sort of fixture or fitting that can be discarded with no notice or regard for the consequences. The inclusion of these amendments, or something similar, or a commitment by the Minister to frame something that could be included in the legislation that will establish what will be the primary agency in the country for attaining one's employment rights when it comes before the Seanad, would send a strong message about where this country's interest lies.

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