Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow morning thousands of workers from Dunnes Stores will go on strike across the country. They do not want to do this but they are being forced. This reflects a broader casualisation of the workforce, a regressive trend towards lower pay and less security of hours. The strike tomorrow is essentially about low-hour contracts that have become the norm in certain sectors of the economy. It is about a simple abuse of power that a major employer is exercising over thousands of employees. I do not say that lightly.

Some 76% of the company's workforce is now working so-called part-time flexible hours. Some 70% of those in that workforce are women. The employees face uncertainty each week. They experience a fundamental lack of security and cannot plan their lives. There is no decency at the heart of the relationship between this employer and the workers.

I have met some of the workers. What was most disquieting was their fear that they could be punished by their employer simply for meeting me. That was said. It is like going back to the 19th century. We are to celebrate the centenary of the Rising next year. The Government's programme in this regard was launched yesterday. I asked myself the basic question as to whether employee rights are going backwards in certain sectors. Employees cannot obtain mortgages and cannot even get car loans. Worst of all, the system is used to control workers. They are threatened with a reduction in hours if they are not on-side and do not play ball. Sick pay is orchestrated and is almost non-existent. There is limited holiday pay, and so on.

All the workers are seeking are banded-hour contracts, which Marks & Spencer, Tesco, SuperValu and Penneys have all given. It is very regrettable and shameful that an Irish employer does not see fit to give them.

Most people in this House, including me, support basic decency. I have a basic question for the Taoiseach: does he support the Dunnes Stores workers who are going on strike tomorrow? I ask him to say he does and to articulate clearly a loud message that should be articulated by everybody in this House: we will not tolerate this abuse of power over employees.

Will the Taoiseach introduce a fair working hours Act to stop this abuse of workers? The existing legislative safeguards are no longer adequate to stop what is going on. It must stop, and the message must be sent out that if the current practices continue there will be legislative response to ensure they do not.

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