Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In recent years, Ireland has become a leader in the developed world for low paid work. The survey on income and living conditions, SILC, report backs this up, finding 105,000 people in Ireland are the working poor, who are in employment but unable to escape poverty. The Minister of State is standing over this. Things must change. It is no accident that Tesco at this point in time decided to tear up legally binding contracts. It is obvious it was all part of its Project Black and its plan to go after post-1996 and other workers. We must introduce legislation that is robust enough to be able to protect these workers with proper collective bargaining and access to the workplace, as contained in the Bill before the House last week. When I stood with the workers on the picket line I knew they had balloted for industrial action in hotels and pubs because their union did not have the right to access them in the workplace. This is the key issue we must examine. I do not expect this Government to do this, but I hope that future Governments will do so and introduce laws that really protect workers and stop the race to the bottom.

See this speech in context