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

I wish to speak briefly to this section and the new section that would be introduced by amendment No. 9, if that is okay. I spoke previously about the concerns that were raised - nobody will be unaware of them - about access for trade unionists to the workplace. What this global pandemic has highlighted, particularly for those of us who are trade unionists, is the need for workers to be organised and to come together to prioritise their own health and safety. The new section I propose in amendment No. 9 includes a right to access for trade union officials and activists to workplaces. Although we all have the right to join a trade union, sometimes it can be very difficult for trade unions to access workers at their places of work. Remote working will pose a challenge to the trade union movement, but I urge all workers who are not in a union to join one, get active, get organised and protect themselves if they are working at home or in a designated workplace. If this global pandemic has taught us anything, it is that sick pay is now a public health measure and that getting organised, being part of one's trade union and working with one's colleagues to improve one's terms and conditions at work has never been more important. At no time in our history has it ever been more important for people to be able to do just that and to safeguard their own health and safety. To do so, however, we need to ensure those who need it can get access to workplaces.

Of all the amendments I tabled, which I appreciate have all been ruled out of order, amendment No. 9 is the one I thought would be ruled in order. I am not a pessimist; I am an optimist with experience. I should have known it would be ruled out of order, but it is an important amendment nonetheless. It is my intention to table legislation to deal with this issue, and I hope that that will not be opposed by the Government because to do so would send a pretty awful message to workers and their representatives.

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