Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. As an overall policy position, I am establishing a new social dialogue unit within my Department and I would like to explore the issues to which the Deputy has referred such as collective bargaining and so on with the various stakeholders in that regard.

I will check with the Tánaiste about receipt of the Low Pay Commission report. The position in recent years has been to adhere to the recommendations of the commission. As regards the Deputy's specific point about whether the commission would be tasked with transforming the minimum wage, that has not specifically been committed to yet. It is an interesting idea and I am open to engaging with the Deputy, as I am sure the Tánaiste will be, about constructive progress we can make on workers' rights in general.

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