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

This morning I listened to an interview on the radio with Arne Kalleberg, Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina. Recently he produced a book, Precarious Lives: Job Insecurity and Well-Being in Rich Democracies. He reported on precarious work and if-and-when contracts in five countries, namely, the UK, the US, Denmark, Spain and Japan. He made the very important point that this is all part of the neoliberal agenda and the neoliberal diktat that has gone across the world in the past 20 years. When our unions and previous Governments were in social partnership these contracts slipped in and were allowed to happen. The ones who stood up were the workers themselves, and the 6,000 Dunnes Stores workers who went out on strike in April 2015 demanding decent pay and decent working hours. Yesterday, Mandate launched its secure hours better future campaign. Researchers at the University of Limerick made it quite clear the 18 month look back is not sufficient. The question was raised at the launch of Mandate's campaign as to whether we would have to wait until 18 months after the Bill was enacted to look back on the hours worked.

We have Deputy Cullinane's Bill and it can be amended. Everyone has said it can be amended and we are waiting for the money issue to come down from the Government. We could amend it quite effectively over the next month or so if the Government was willing to do this. I agree with Deputy Curran. The Government is trying to draw this out and push it down the line. Dunnes Stores worker Muireann Dalton was at the launch on Tuesday of the secure hours better future campaign. She is putting her neck on the line with regard to Dunnes Stores management watching very closely what she is saying. It could reduce her hours over the next period of time. She is well aware of this, but she is willing to come out and state she needs security of hours.

Workers need tighter banded hours. They do not need broad banded hours. A worker who generally has 25 hours work a week and whose hours are cut by ten hours to 15 hours could lose €100 a week. This completely messes up their lives. Would the Minister of State accept this? Would he accept that happening? Those bands must be much tighter and the look back period much shorter. The unions are willing to concede at least 12 months when the Bill is brought in and not 12 months after that again so it is a 24 month look back.

I urge the Minister of State to listen to what has been said on this side of the House. Fianna Fáil has said it supports tighter bands and a shorter look back. The Opposition will make these points even if the Government comes in with a Bill. I urge the Minister of State to look at these workers and what they are going through, the lives they have to lead and the work environment they have to work in, and get on with the job of introducing legislation that is robust and will protect these workers.

On Tuesday morning, a representative from IBEC on the radio stated it would take a lot of time, energy and management to look at hours worked. Employers are already legally required to keep working time records, so there is nothing in the proposal that would result in any new or additional administrative or regulatory burden for employers. No employer has anything to worry about because it is cost neutral. Extra hours are not being made. Workers would be given the hours they have worked regularly, which means if a new worker comes in he or she would be on fewer hours on whatever band was set for them. It would not put any extra burden on employers. This is about employers wanting to control workers and this has to stop. As a legislative body, we must ensure workers are protected, have their rights, have tighter bands and a shorter look back, and that they are protected in their workplace.

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