Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully support the Bill. It is vital and important legislation. All workers should be entitled to access their union representatives at places of their convenience. In most workplaces, this would be the shop floor of the place where the workers are working together. It is vital that we allow workers to organise and be represented by people who know the ins and outs of labour law and can advise workers properly. The relationship between workers and management in companies throughout the country is not an equal one. The workers on an individual level do not have any power. All the power is held by management and the workers need the support of organised labour to help them negotiate with their management.

Many examples have been outlined in the House of the reasons we need this support. Others have mentioned the Tesco workers and the disgraceful intimidation by management of those workers, attacking their right to ballot and to access the union representatives in their workplaces and forcing and intimidating them into voting against strike action. Management should be forced to allow the workers to have free and fair discussions with their shop stewards and union representatives and to make free and fair decisions.

Then again, we should not be surprised that the Government will oppose the Bill when one considers what the Government is doing and allowing to be done in respect of Bus Éireann. It is clear that management in Bus Éireann wants to break the unions representing its workers and create a budget bus company in which precarious work, casualisation of labour and massive pay cuts will all take place for the workers. The Government appears to be quite happy to allow this to happen.

I note that the Minister in her contribution outlined all the great industrial relations procedures already in place in the country and how, in her mind, they are effective. However, if they were effective, we would not need this legislation. If they were effective, Tesco workers would not be intimidated in their workplaces. If they were effective, Bus Éireann management would not be trying to undermine union representation and attack bus workers throughout the country.

I believe it is a policy of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to ensure the ongoing casualisation of work and creation of precarious work for workers throughout the country is pushed forward. That is the agenda they are driving and it will do no good for anybody in work who needs the protection of union representation when dealing with management and its power structure.

See this speech in context