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

No, I will speak myself. I will speak briefly because there is only one issue I want to focus on this evening. It is the question of the striking down of the sectoral employment orders.

The Government has decided to appeal the decision of the High Court to the Supreme Court, and I welcome that. The High Court decision represented a clear and present danger to the wages and conditions of 120,000 construction workers, including electricians, mechanical engineers, plumbers, pipe fitters and others. The fact that there is an appeal to the Supreme Court is positive in two senses. First, in the sense that it allows the possibility that the High Court decision will be overturned. Second, in the sense that the wages and conditions of these workers are protected in the interim. However, the Government must make provision in case the Supreme Court appeal is lost. This can easily be done by preparing legislation that would give the three sectoral employment orders in question the full force of law through an Act of the Oireachtas. That is what needs to be done. It cannot simply be a throw of the dice on one court case. We must ensure and guarantee that those orders are protected and the wages and conditions of the 120,000 workers are protected.

I commend those construction trade unions - there is more than one or two - that are balloting for industrial action on this issue. They are right to do that. I would not trust the Supreme Court, the Government or the Dáil majority on this issue.

Should the Supreme Court strike down the Government appeal and should the Dáil fail to pass legislation that would provide cover, as it were, for these sectoral employment orders, then industrial action to defend wages and conditions would be necessary and justified. I understand that one trade union, Connect Trade Union, has said that there will be war - those are the words of the trade union, not mine - if those orders are struck down. I would add that such a war would be a just war and would command a high level of support among construction workers, trade unionists in the construction industry and the general public. I hope it will not come to that. I hope the Supreme Court will uphold the appeal. If it does not, I hope the Dáil will pass the legislation. However, if it comes to it and it is necessary for construction workers to stand and defend their wages and conditions, then I have every confidence that we will stand behind them 100%.

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