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

First, I record congratulations to PDFORRA and EUROMIL on winning their case against the State in the European Committee of Social Rights. The committee ruled by 11 votes to two that Defence Forces personnel were having their right to organise breached and that the Government should recognise their right to affiliate to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. The committee also ruled unanimously - by 13 votes to zero - that the right of Defence Forces personnel to bargain collectively was being breached and that they should be able to participate in pay negotiations, so congratulations and hats off to PDFORRA and EUROMIL. I also want to record here the historic role of the wives and partners of members of the Defence Forces whose protest movement in the 1980s paved the way for the creation of PDFORRA and whose recent work has helped raise general awareness of the dire working conditions endured by Defence Forces personnel and the consequences for their families in terms of living standards. I have no doubt that this has been a source of pressure on this Government.

Is the Minister of State prepared to give a commitment in the House tonight that he will now arrange to meet Ms Patricia King of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to discuss putting in place the necessary arrangements in the wake of this important judgement? I also ask him to give a commitment not to go down the road of obstruction, denial of rights and foot dragging, which this Government has attempted to do in recent years. From the moment the Garda organisations won their equivalent case at the European Committee of Social Rights in the autumn of 2016, we put the argument to the Minister of State's office that the Government should short-circuit the EUROMIL case rather than force a rehash of the same arguments in Brussels. The fact the Government persevered and contested this case all the way to the bitter end is shameful. Even since the ruling in favour of the Garda organisations, there has been more foot dragging with a promise of a Bill to give effect to the Garda ruling only listed for this Dáil session a full year and a half after the ruling. A Bill of mine entitled the Industrial Relations (Defence Forces) Amendment Bill 2017, which grants trade union rights to the Defence Forces in anticipation of yesterday's ruling, passed First Stage last year. The Government could easily progress this Bill to Committee Stage in this term. The Minister of State might comment.

The denial of union rights to the ranks of the Defence Forces has facilitated many abuses in terms of pay and working conditions.

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The number of Defence Forces personnel on family income supplement alone is testament to this as is the exodus of technically skilled personnel in recent weeks and months. There are issues still outstanding in respect of the Organisation of Working Time Act and the loss of annual leave, Lariam, hazardous working conditions in the Air Corps paint shop in Baldonnel and so on. These issues have been argued out ad nauseambehind the closed doors of the conciliation and arbitration scheme run by the Department of Defence. This is a sham process.

The Taoiseach holds the portfolio of Minister for Defence. Some class of statement from him today regardless of this Topical Issue debate was warranted. I call on him now to make a statement on this ruling and to commit to bring forward legislation immediately to give effect to it in this session. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply with interest.

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