Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We in the Social Democrats support this Bill and we commend Deputy Munster on bringing it forward. It is timely and incredibly appropriate that we should be debating it today. I will use some of the short time available to me to acknowledge the passing away today of Fergus McCabe, a trade unionist, organiser and man of immense standing in Dublin's north inner city. If colleagues do not know him by name, they certainly will know him by his work. Fergus was one of the architects of the Gregory deal and was involved in every single organising capacity in the north inner city, right up to his recent involvement in the Mulvey report. I expect the Minister of State may have met him in that capacity. Fergus was involved in the founding of Belvedere Football Club. He developed, enhanced and brought to the fore the very idea of community organising. His work did not just have an impact in the north inner city but set a standard that was replicated throughout the country, in drugs task forces, community policing forums and in organising communities to stand up against the oppression of drugs and the indifference of the State. Fergus will be remembered by many people. He taught me and many others in the north inner city the ideals and concepts of collectivism. He encouraged us to educate ourselves, he was there when we needed to agitate and he was to the forefront whenever there was a requirement to organise. It is incredibly appropriate, during a debate on trade union rights and collectivism, that I get to pay tribute to the man who created many of the structures that have enhanced and fortified the community in which I grew up. I pay homage to Fergus McCabe. He will be remembered and carried in the hearts of everybody he helped and encouraged along the way.

Ireland has the second highest incidence of low pay in the EU, affecting 23% of workers in 2019. By contrast, last year also saw Ireland register the highest growth in domestic product in the Union for the third year in a row. Recent research by Oxfam indicates that Ireland has the fifth largest number of billionaires per capitain the world. These statistics are not unrelated to the fact that we have such a poor level of trade union rights. Rather than damaging our economic competitiveness, collective bargaining enhances it. Ireland is ranked 24th in the global competitive index, lagging behind countries such as Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark, The Netherlands and Finland, to name but a few, in which there are much higher levels of collective bargaining. Ireland is unusual in the European context in that employers are not legally obliged to engage with trade unions to negotiate pay agreements or other conditions of employment. This explains our much lower levels of collective bargaining coverage. We are simply way out of line with European norms in this area.

Article 40.6 of the Constitution sets out the right of citizens to form trade unions or associations. Unfortunately, this only protects an individual's right to join a trade union; it does not confer a right to be represented by one for collective bargaining purposes. The Social Democrats are proud to give our support to this Bill. We hope that it passes but, if not, we will continue to fight to ensure its provisions are enacted.

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