Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I welcome collective bargaining legislation and trade union recognition. That has been long awaited by workers across the State. We know the problems would be access to workers in their workplace. Those issues must be addressed because they are situations workers are facing at the moment. The State is subsidising big, profitable companies with a great deal of money through family income supplement. It was €224 million in 2012, €280 million in 2014 and it will be more when more people know they can access this. This is because these workers do not have enough money to live on, which the State deems they should have. Big companies, which are making huge profits, are benefiting from taxpayers subsidising workers' pay. It is crucial that zero-hours contracts be dealt with. The ratio of people in full-time work to those in part-time work was about 80:20 a few years ago and has now reversed, to 20:80. It is an issue that needs to be addressed and workers must take that action to get those positions.

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