Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I specifically want to raise the case of a company called Extern. This is a Northern Ireland based company with charitable status. It has been engaged by a number of Departments, including the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Justice and Equality, and the HSE. It has 450 employees, North and South. It operates in 40 locations across the island and provides services, it claims on its website, to 15,000 persons. This company refuses to recognise a trade union here in the Republic. The union in question is the Unite trade union and the official who has been making the efforts is Mr. Roy Hassey. The Departments, when contacted by the union, refuse to engage. The Department of Justice and Equality, in a written response, states it is referring the matter to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Non-recognition is bad enough. What is more galling is the fact that Extern also obtains contracts of a similar type from government Departments in Northern Ireland and yet there, its employees' union, NIPSA, the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance, is recognised by Extern management.

Can the Minister of State stand over such partitionist double standards? The fact is that the Minister of State's colleagues in other Departments seem not only to stand over it but to reward it.

See this speech in context