Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies and parties that have signalled their support for this Bill. This legislation does nothing more than bring this State in line with other EU countries. There is a long tradition in this State of treating every single move towards improving workers' rights as the beginning of the end of Irish civilisation. The suggestion is always that the sky will fall in upon us and there will be economic chaos. The response is always overblown when it comes to anything that might, God forbid, help ordinary people to help themselves.

When one looks at every single social and economic crisis in this State over the past 80 years, one must ask how many have been caused by trade unions or by ordinary people. The answer is none. We stand here in 2020 in the middle of a whole series of crises. There are crises in housing, health, child support and crèches. There is a crisis in the provision of services for people with disabilities and of home care packages and home help hours. There is also a crisis in mental health service provision and the treatment of rural Ireland. On top of all of these is the Covid-19 crisis and this Government's scattergun approach. How many of these crises were caused by trade unions? Again, the answer is none. Our problem lies with this State and successive Governments bending over backwards for developers, landlords, tax avoiders and bankers who are allowed to do whatever they want while the rest of us suffer the consequences.

The truth is that no employer ever went broke by talking to trade unions. Support for this Bill would not cost the Government one cent of public money because this is a rights issue. The Minister of State knows that it is a rights issue and that it would not cost the Government a single cent to support this legislation. The fact that it is a rights issue is the reason the Government will not support it. Does the Government consider it important for ordinary workers to have the same rights as every other worker across the EU or does it want to continue to deny workers the right to have their employer recognise their union through collective bargaining negotiations? It is that simple and the Minister of State's answer tells us that the Government wants to deny workers that right. The Minister of State seems to think that the Irish people do not keep abreast of the laws that the Government passes or the rights that it rejects but he is wrong because they do. Last February was a clear indication that they do pay attention to the laws the Government passes, the rights it grants and the rights it rejects.

If ever there was an appetite for change, if last February told the Government anything, it should be to listen to the people. The people out there, workers and their families, clearly see that the Government is refusing tonight to give workers the same rights as other workers across the EU. To them, that sends a chilling message that the Government wants to keep workers down. There is no point in having a right that cannot be expressed. It is time the law was changed fully. Sometimes, it is good to give this Government the benefit of the doubt in the hope that it will actually do the right thing. As I said, it would not have cost one single cent to support them but the Government could not bring itself to do it. Why? It is because it is a rights issue, in particular a workers’ rights issue. If it was bankers, developers, tax avoiders and landlords, the Government would be tripping over itself to say, “How can we help you? What can we do? What legislation can we bring in to assist you?”

The Minister of State said earlier the Government is working to improve rights. How can he seriously stand there and say that? It is costing the Government no money to support this but it would give workers the right to have their trade union involved and be recognised in collective bargaining. It would ensure that the employer recognised the right of a worker to say, “I want that trade union rep to represent me in my workplace.” However, the Government cannot even bring itself to do that. It begrudges something that costs it nothing.

If people are watching in, they will just say it is the same old same old. The Government just does not have it in itself to stand up for workers. They are not on its radar. We know who is on its radar, but Irish workers and their rights to trade union representation, collective bargaining and ensure the employer recognises their rights is not on its radar. It would not help the big boys in business, would it?

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