Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government is asking employers to become debt collectors against their employees. The good relationship employers have nurtured with their employees to create a productive and decent working environment will come to an end because of this.

We have over 345,000 people signing on, with 80,000 more participating in job activation schemes. Outside the public sector, 70% of those working are employed by small and micro businesses. Many of these companies do not have the administrative payroll infrastructure to deal with this. Week after week, the jobs committee hears from employer groups that their members are already overburdened and living on the edge of existence. Now, the Government wants them to become both debtor and creditor in respect of their employees' unpaid debts. It is giving them extra tasks to perform.

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