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

I conclude on the matter by saying the two issues go hand in hand. Whether it met remotely or there was a sitting in this Chamber, there had to be a session of the Dáil this week.

We must see an end to this type of approach. This must be open and transparent. I will go on with my points about social protection.

The drivers at Dublin Bus have been instructed to take a portion of their annual leave in the coming weeks. These drivers are front-line workers. Every day they drive people to essential workplaces, including taking health service staff to and from our hospitals. Their service has been rewarded with a kick in the teeth. Dublin Bus has asked them to use up ten days of their annual leave in the next ten weeks, a move which may very well be illegal. This is an important test case where the social protection of our people is concerned. In the great recession of 2008, employers and the Government attempted to place the burden of the crisis on the shoulders of working people from the get-go. That must not be allowed to happen this time. What is being attempted by Dublin Bus must be resisted and stopped, not only in the interests of the Dublin Bus workers but also in the interests of every working person in this country.

I raise the issue of unscrupulous employers who are cheating their workers on the matter of the wage subsidy scheme. I am aware of a construction company which employs workers on the site of one of the State's major multinational companies and is forcing its workers to take annual leave while the scheme is in operation. I am also aware of a major chain of coffee shops which is forcing its staff to do the same. I could give other examples. This is appearing on the radar of several Deputies here. It needs to be tackled.

I will conclude by raising the issue of the ban on making Covid-19 payments to workers under the age of 18. During the week, I spoke to the mother of a 16 year old. Her son worked as an apprentice at a joinery just outside Cork city. Before all this happened, he was earning €250 a week as an apprentice. He paid universal social charge out of his pay packet every week. At home, he gave money to his mother and assisted in paying the mortgage. In fact, the mortgage payments could only be made on that basis. He has now been laid off. Being under the age of 18, he cannot claim the Covid-19 payment. His mother, of course, cannot claim the children's allowance for him. Her son is being discriminated against on the grounds of his age. That is wrong. A worker is a worker, irrespective of age. The ban on making Covid-19 payments to workers aged under 18 should be ended.

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