Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is refreshing that a number of Private Members' Bills and motions dealing with the issues we are discussing this evening have been put forward by Opposition parties and groups, including the Social Democrats, Sinn Féin, Solidarity-People Before Profit and the Labour Party. I have made a number of speeches on these issues in the House in recent months. That is to be welcomed. As previous speakers noted, there is a direct correlation between the fact that our economy is underpinned by poverty pay - with 23% of Irish workers on low pay, according to the OECD, and 40% of young people in insecure work - and the fact that collective bargaining regulations in this country give employers a veto. The current provisions have been described by the trade union movement as offering the possibility of joining a golf club without being allowed to play golf. I wish the Government would understand that there is a direct link between poverty pay, poor pay, exploitation and vulnerable work and the lack of trade union rights and collective bargaining rights. The two absolutely are linked and that is why we will continue to bring forward motions regarding sick pay, insecure work, poverty pay, low pay and collective bargaining.

The Minister of State's party leader became leader of Fine Gael on the strength of his view that the rights of essential workers to engage in industrial action should be restricted. Some time later, he is leading the cheering for those same workers when it has been proven how important they are. It is not necessary to have these adversarial, over-and-back debates in this House between Government and Opposition. We do not have to drive a wedge between us and play the pantomime villain and pantomime hero on the issue of workers' rights. What is at stake is extremely important. People in this country are going to work even if they are sick because they are worried they will otherwise lose their jobs. We do not have statutory provisions in this country that other European countries take for granted. In fact, Ireland is one of only five European countries that does not offer statutory sick pay.

Even though it may be imperfect, we support the Bill that is before the House this evening. I know Ministers are handed scripts by civil servants or from the Attorney General's office that poke holes in things. The Government needs to understand that trade unionism is good for living standards and for business. It is good for the economy that workers are protected and empowered in their workplace. We cannot go back to an economic model under which too many workers are poorly paid and vulnerable.

Deputy Gannon spoke very eloquently in his tribute to Fergus McCabe. Given the issues we are debating, it was my intention, in coming to the Chamber, to speak about Fergus and his legacy. I have spent time in the north inner city and I know he was the type of man whose trust one would never want to lose. If one ever did lose the trust of somebody like Fergus, one would know one was doing something wrong. He had an interest in everything, including music and football. As Deputy Gannon noted, Fergus was one of the founding members of Belvedere Football Club and he was also a fan of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. It would be wonderful if Matt Doherty, a former Belvedere footballer and current Spurs player, were to do the business tonight for the Republic of Ireland in Fergus's memory.

There was not a cause he ever gave up on. There was no individual he ever gave up on. He spoke passionately about the drugs issue for generations. He wrote the Gregory deal some 40 years ago and still spoke as passionately this year as he did in the early 1980s about housing, employment, drugs and education, as Deputy Gannon said, and always with a glint in his eye, always close to having a chuckle on his lips. Fergus was always articulate and forthright. It was his birthday this week. He was 71 years of age. It breaks my heart to think that we have lost so many good, decent and articulate people in that part of the world who were speaking to a better future. More recently, Fergus spent much time with young people from immigrant backgrounds, speaking to their reality and trying to find ways to empower them. It is appropriate, on a night like this, that the national Parliament would hear of the memory of Fergus McCabe. We will not get a chance to go to his funeral. We will not get a chance to say these words in a church or other place where normally we would do these things. When a person has worked so hard for those who needed him so much, for so many years, then Dáil Éireann is an appropriate place to speak of the name Fergus McCabe. I am delighted that Deputy Gary Gannon did so and I am delighted to join with the Deputy to pay tribute to him.

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