Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All of the issues the Deputy has just outlined will not be legal when we pass the new Bill because of all of the other sections of the Bill, not because of permitting casualised work in certain exceptional circumstances. It is because of the banded hours and the look-back period that will be introduced, as well a whole range of measures within the Bill that will prohibit what the Deputy has just described from happening in any organisation. However, it is important to remember there are benefits to having certain casualised work.

To give one example, in a recent high profile case an RTÉ reporter was found to have been discriminated against by being dismissed on the grounds of age while she was on a casual contact when presenting a radio programme. The Workplace Relations Commission found in her favour and she was awarded €50,000. Similarly, cover is necessary in an emergency and, for example, fire brigades have auxiliary firefighters on call for urgent situations. Obviously, not every situation is an emergency, so cover is also needed for routine absences. For example, transport companies would have to employ a relief driver during exceptionally busy periods or to cover the annual leave of other employees. Pharmacies cannot open unless there is a pharmacist present so if a pharmacist rings in sick, they have to be able to provide locums. There are a number of genuine exceptional circumstances that permit what we and the Workplace Relations Commission call casual work. To prohibit that in any way, shape or form would shut down certain industries, which is certainly not what we want to do.

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