Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste has outlined the difficulties. I am well aware of the difficulties regarding sectoral employment orders, registered employment agreements and employment regulation orders. As the Tánaiste said, they are open to legal action and such actions have been taken on a number of occasions.

In the intervening time, what protections does an electrical worker who is due to start work tomorrow or the next day have for his or her basic minimum rights and entitlements now that such workers are no longer set by or covered by the SEO? We must bear in mind that this challenge was not taken by people who sought to improve the terms of the SEO; it was taken by people who sought to get around the terms of the SEO and in some instances to pay less than the SEO would have granted. Is there a plan for the intervening time, pending the appeal? As I stated to the Minister, we commit to working with him if there is a plan to bring in a form of legislation that will underpin the basic rights and entitlements. The Government clearly sees the need for the SEO, as it introduced it, and I am sure the Minister believes it is a good idea. Therefore, when it is gone something must replace it. What will the Minister say to a worker starting on a site tomorrow morning and in the intervening period?

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