John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will support the amendment but I want some clarity from the Minister. I note she put out a statement last week that she intends to have this signed into law come March of next year. This would be in line with the amendment. We know very vulnerable workers have waited a long time for this. Why must we wait these full three months? There is no reason this could not be signed into law early in January, obviously depending on the President and his availability. The Minister, in conjunction with the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, intends to roll out a campaign around this and build awareness among workers. Surely the two could be done in tandem. The campaign has gone on for a long time and the Minister is well aware that workers launched a campaign. I think of the Dunnes Stores workers who initiated their campaign three or four years ago. An extra three months might not seem a long time for some but it is a long time for workers, particularly those in precarious employment who are waiting for this legislation to be signed into law. Three months is a long time and an explanation is needed.

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