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

There are two things we can do from this date. We will do whatever we can to put pressure on to get a deal, a respectable package, for the workers. We need to change the law as well to protect workers in future by protecting collective agreements. That has to happen. As I said, I had preliminary discussions with ICTU. They were not on the agenda. I had a general discussion with representatives of ICTU last week in the context of the social dialogue unit we are establishing in my Department. In the context of that discussion, we discussed Debenhams and how we could develop mechanisms in the future, and whether we could do something to assist Debenhams' workers. That is my only focus and the focus of the Government right now.

See this speech in context