Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the opportunity to speak on the Social Democrats first Private Members' motion in the new Dáil. The pandemic has highlighted how undervalued so many of our essential workers are. Like my colleague said, we all owe them a debt of gratitude but gratitude is not just paying lip service. Real gratitude is providing them with fair pay, better conditions and basic rights. Another motivation for putting this motion forward is that by addressing workers’ rights we not only ensure their livelihoods and dignity, we help solve so many other social and economic issues too, from poverty and food insecurity to family health and vulnerability to unregulated loans.

Everyone deserves decent working conditions and to be valued. We know this leads to increased health and well-being and, therefore, increased productivity. It is in everyone’s interest - workers, employees and the State - that people are guaranteed safe, secure and positive professional environments. Dependable income, security of tenure and decent working conditions enable people to put down roots, settle in communities and help those communities to thrive.

Covid-19 demonstrated who our essential workers are. They are nurses, carers, cleaners, food producers, postal workers, public transport drivers and so many front-line workers. The wages and working conditions of these groups and others have been eroded over the past generation. Wage cuts, recruitment freezes and subcontracting are becoming established practices. These policies create uncertainty and precarity. They only benefit the few, not the many. Research by Social Justice Ireland based on CSO figures found that in 2018, almost 110,000 people at work fell below the poverty line, as did a further 82,000 people on home duties, such as parents and carers. Their children and dependants are also living in poverty as a result. This is a systematic failure and we should do everything we can to fix it.

Today, unfortunately, gender still impacts on wages and conditions. A paper by the Oireachtas Library and Research Service shows that the Irish gender pay gap was 13.9% in 2016. That gap is worse for older women, women from ethnic minorities and higher earners. It estimates that, at the current rate of decline, it would take Ireland another 55 years to close the pay gap. Words fail me.

The proposals in our motion will help to tackle these issues at source. They focus on the casualisation of labour, the precarious nature of many jobs and the absence of collective bargaining.

Media reports on the clusters of Covid-19 infections in meat plants and the statements given to the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response by witnesses from Migrant Rights Centre Ireland last Friday are a harrowing example of how some workers are treated. Workers have consistently told journalists that they are frightened to talk about conditions in the sector. They have stayed anonymous in media reports for fear of retribution. This paints a shameful picture of the conditions people are working in today. Outbreaks in these factories raise serious health and safety concerns, as do the absence of sick pay for many workers and the subcontracting practices which leave people more vulnerable to exploitative labour conditions. Migrant workers in this sector are at particular risk because their immigration permissions may be tied to their employer, leaving them in an even more precarious and vulnerable position. Language barriers, institutional racism and a lack of social capital exacerbate their circumstances. I have called separately for a review of the meat processing sector. This motion aligns with that objective and with the recommendations by Migrant Rights Centre Ireland regarding worker rights in meat processing plants.

Our motion calls for fairness. It proposes a rights-based framework to ensure workers get fair pay and conditions and everyone can live a dignified existence. Precarious employment and the gig economy are increasingly common in different sectors, including healthcare, retail, customer service, deliveries, childcare and universities. We are calling for the introduction of basic safety nets which were taken for granted a generation ago. Basic entitlements, dependable hours, collective bargaining and a decent salary are the minimum workers should expect. Good employers will welcome these requirements. Indeed, they are already practising them. Many small companies and family-run businesses in my constituency of Cork South-West and across Ireland provide these conditions for their employees. This motion will help to create a level playing field, where decent employers will not be undercut by others who place profit above workers' rights.

We want work to be valued. We believe everyone should have access to basic conditions and entitlements which reward good work. When those conditions are in place, employers benefit, the State benefits and families benefit. We all benefit. I am asking my colleagues from all parties to support our motion.

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