Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am proud that it is the Social Democrats who have tabled the motion defending the rights of those on lower pay and in precarious work. I commend my colleague, Deputy Gannon, who has taken a lead in preparing this motion. I also thank the Deputies from Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Solidarity-PBP and the Independents for supporting this motion.

If there ever was any doubt in anyone's mind about the crucial role that our care workers, cleaners, shelf stackers, retailer workers and everyone in essential and front-line work play, this pandemic will have put that doubt to rest. The best and the most appropriate and fitting tribute we could pay to those workers for their contribution during this crisis is to agree that we will have universal healthcare, access to affordable housing and a living wage for everyone. If we were serious about solidarity, nothing short of this is acceptable. Rhetoric that we are all in this together is all well and good, but action is what we need.

I am disappointed with the response from the Government to the motion that we have put forward. The Government is, through its amendment, effectively seeking to delete our motion pretty much in its entirety. It is a deliberate attempt to remove any reference to collective bargaining, workers' protections and workplace representation. I appeal to all Deputies, especially to Green Party Deputies, not to vote for the Government amendment and instead to support this motion and stand with low-paid workers.

I will address some of the comments from the Minister of State, Deputy English. The Minister of State correctly stated we should be wary about dividing workers into different categories and yet tonight the Government is putting forward an amendment to our motion that exactly seeks to do that and seeks to introduce language about dividing workers into different categories of public and private. Why is it the Tánaiste, every time he makes a contribution, is always dividing workers into public and private? What is that about, when we should be wary, and I agree with Deputy English, about dividing workers into different categories? It is right to point out and put emphasis on the rights of workers who are on lower pay and in precarious working conditions. We are right to highlight that. In relation to some of the facts, contrary to what the Minister of State, Deputy English, has said, 23% of Irish workers are low paid, according to the OECD. We, in Ireland, are the third worst in the European Union. Young people, women and migrants are particularly affected by low pay and precarious work, especially those working in retail and services. We have also seen that continued privatisation, outsourcing and casualisation in healthcare have increased the numbers in low paid and precarious work.

As to the comments earlier of the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, which I must say were contradictory, first he told us that the Government is committed to a living wage, but not now, not next year, sometime in the future. He then argued against the introduction of a living wage and said it should be a voluntary measure. Deputy Troy then admitted, and defined, a living wage as a wage that is required so that one can meet the basic costs to live and then he attacked the idea of increasing the minimum wage on the basis that it is a blunt tool for addressing poverty, his argument being that not everyone on the minimum wage lives in a household suffering from poverty. What about all the people living on the minimum wage who are in a household suffering from poverty? Why should they not have a minimum floor when they go to work so that they can meet the basic costs of childcare, housing, putting food on the table, being able to participate fully in their local community, and being able to say to their children that they can go on that summer camp that is being run and they can go on that school trip? What about those people on the minimum wage? Why do they not come into the equation when we are talking about increasing the minimum wage?

We face a very simple choice this evening as to what to do. I want to address one final point before handing over to my colleague. There is no better way to achieve a recovery than by addressing low pay and putting money into the pockets of low-paid workers who will spend it in the local community and local shops. There is no better way forward.

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