Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo. Tá cónaí orainn i ré dúshlánach. Tá sí dúshlánach d'oibrithe ar a laghad, cé nach bhfuil sí ró-dhúshlánach do dhaoine eile sa tsochaí a bhfuil cosaint an Rialtais acu. Táimid tar éis éisteacht inniu agus aréir le roinnt figiúirí scannalacha, a léiríonn an scála teacht i dtír ar oibrithe sa tír seo. Tá rud éigin bunúsach contráilte le córas eacnamaíochta nuair atá oibrithe le postanna lán-aimseartha i mbochtaineacht tar éis an lá pá. Tá rud éigin cearr le córas inar féidir le hoibrithe a bheith ar ghlaoch ag an bhfostóir ach gan chinnteacht oibre acu ar aon lá nó seachtain ar leith. Tá rud éigin mícheart nuair a bhíonn 95,000 oibrithe i mbochtanas agus os cionn 40,000 duine a bhfuil post acu ach atá ag breith ar an Stát tríd an forlíonadh ioncam teaghlaigh chun tacú leo. Tá fás eacnamaíochta ag breith ar oibrithe ag obair agus ag fáil pá cóir cothrom ag deireadh an lae. Tá an prionsabal seo ceaptha a bheith ar cheann de na comhréitigh i sochaí nua-aimseartha an iarthair: cuireann oibrithe a gcuid saothar ar fáil agus faigheann siad pá don obair seo atá go leor le marachtáil. Ach in Éirinn sa lá atá inniu ann, tá an prionsabal seo curtha ar leataobh. Tá an coincheap seo, go mba cheart go mbeadh meas againn ar an oibrí, i mbaol agus tá sé seo ag tarlú ag go leor pasanna faoi láthair.

We have heard the excuses again today from Deputies from the Labour Party and Fine Gael. We all know them. They say we must be competitive and flexible and so on. All those clichés amount to excuses to allow the exploitation of workers across the State. Sinn Féin is clear: there is no justification or excuse that can allow for the exploitation of workers. There is also no economic rationale for running an economy like a low-fare airline. A sustainable and fair recovery cannot be built on a low-paid workforce unsure of how much will be in the next pay cheque.

A culture of exploitation of workers and of labour has been allowed to develop under the Government. It has always been with us to some extent but some employers have taken full advantage of the economic crisis to stoop to new lows. They have done that in the full knowledge that the Government will turn a blind eye at worst and fully support their plans at best. Government policy has been to support fully the exploitation of workers and even to take part in it itself. JobBridge is a scandalous scheme when it exists in the private sector but is particularly disgusting to see it used by the State. That is the example the Government is setting for the private sector.

That is not the way an economy is supposed to work. The State should not subsidise profitable companies by allowing them to hire for a few months mainly young workers for a pittance. A job should be a guarantee of having enough to live on. Something has gone terribly wrong. A culture of economic exploitation has developed and has been allowed grow to horrible levels. However, the Government is not concerned. Its counter-motion contains lots of promises but on reading it the only question that springs to mind is whether this is a different Government than the one that has been sitting across the floor for the past four years. No worker should believe one word from the Government. Its record is clear: it has supported a system where workers are exploited. The Government throws out useless excuses with no basis in reality. For it, the Dunnes Stores dispute is regrettable but none of its business. It is only the Government after all.

The anti-worker rhetoric of the Government has had its day. It is time to build a society and economy where workers are rewarded fairly for their labour whether their employer is the State or a private company. That goal hardly seems too ambitious, but having listened to the contributions of Fine Gael and Labour Deputies and others to this debate, it is clear it is not even on their agenda. The rest of us will do it for them.

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