Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The motion tabled by Labour Party Members is to ensure that the rights of workers remain on the political agenda. I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, and my neighbour, the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Breen, on their appointment, I strongly urge them to ensure this happens. We need to maintain the progress made by the Government of 2011 to 2016, beginning with one of its first acts, which was the restoration of the minimum wage that had been axed by Fianna Fáil.

Many thousands of workers in this country still struggle to pay their bills and we intend to champion their cause, as we did - particularly through the leadership of Senator Ged Nash - while in government. We make no apology for focusing on low-paid workers. They should not have to worry about an unpaid bill or the cost of food. They should have bread and roses; enough to live on and something left over for the enjoyment of life.

As Deputy Howlin has just said, more than 60% of those on the minimum wage are women. Despite the fight for equal pay for equal work, some sectors which are predominantly female in their workforce have appallingly low rates of pay. I commend the former Minister of State, Senator Ged Nash, who asked the Low Pay Commission to examine and make recommendations on the low pay of women. I call on the Minister and Minister of State to ensure these recommendations, when they are devised, are implemented. The sectors involved include child care, shop work and cleaning. The two increases in minimum wage and the new employment regulation order for contract cleaners have made some welcome improvements, but we need to move to a situation where the minimum wage rises further, to reach 60% of median earnings and to where a living wage of €11.50 per hour applies throughout the public service.

Women working in child care are among those on the lowest of incomes. It is crucial for families, but also for those working in the sector, that the commitments to invest in the cost of child care are fulfilled. Quality care and education in the early years of a child's life make an enormous difference to each child's development and chances in life. Those who work in the sector are extremely dedicated but their pay is generally minimal, even if they have a third-level or post-graduate qualification. The suggestion made in the early life of the Government that tax breaks should be used to assist parents with the cost of child care would have done nothing to make child care more affordable, have better quality across the board or be better paid. I am glad the Government has given an assurance that it will not follow this course and I will continue to press for direct support to the sector instead. Continuing to increase the minimum wage will secure a share of the growing national prosperity to all workers in child care and other low-paid sectors.

I remember going to my local petrol station in the depths of winter and the two women working there had smiles on their faces because the minimum wage had just increased. These are the workers we want to support. Others we want to protect through the motion are freelance workers, those forced into bogus self-employment and those on if-and-when contracts. Dr. Michelle O'Sullivan and her team at the Kemmy Business School in the University of Limerick, UL, did a fine job in the comprehensive report they carried out on zero-hour contracts and their impact. Their recommendations are practical and fair and I support what my party leader has just said, that they must be implemented.

The same is true of the proposals in the Cahill-Duffy review carried out following the shocking overnight closure of Clerys - and I also welcome the workers to the Gallery - and the separation of assets that callously deprived workers of protection. One of those workers raised an issue with me when I spoke to her this morning, which I promised to raise this evening. A colleague of hers, having worked for decades in the retail trade in Clerys, secured a job in another store but, despite his years of experience, only on the minimum wage.

When the minimum wage is reviewed, there should be consideration of the need to recognise years of experience in setting pay rates.

We were determined to use our first Private Members' time in this Dáil to advance the rights of low-paid workers. It is an area around which we, as public representatives, should all unite. I, too, am concerned that both Sinn Féin and the AAA-PBP have decided to play politics on this issue instead of supporting the rights of workers. Again, I urge those on all sides in the House to ensure that this issue remains on the political agenda. We are very happy to have placed it there tonight and we urge other Members to support the motion.

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