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

I move amendment No. 27:

In page 6, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:"Complaints and protection against victimisation

7. An employer shall not penalise or threaten against a worker, or cause or permit any other person to penalise or threaten penalisation against a worker for having made statement to the Low Pay Commission or for giving evidence on their own experience through their representative organisation.".

The amendment does what it says it does.

It seeks to provide that an employer shall not penalise or threaten a worker or cause or permit any other person to penalise or threaten penalisation against a worker for having made a statement to the Low Pay Commission. It is a very straightforward and decent amendment and it sets out what should be expected for the functionality of the Low Pay Commission. It was recommended by ICTU. Workers should be able to give evidence to the commission and need to be protected when they do so. This protection was offered under the Workplace Relations Service and similar anti-victimisation protections are in place in other areas such as the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill. We want to make it implicit within the Bill.

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