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

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. I thank the Deputies for bringing it forward and for facilitating the debate.

I want to ask the Government when, for the love and honour of God, is it going to be the right time. From what I can see, it is never the right time for this Government - like the previous Government and the one before that - to do the right thing by workers. It is never the right time for workers' rights. Those rights can always wait. It is never the right time to legislate to protect workers. That can always wait. Other factors always have to be considered.

Yesterday we discussed the behaviour of the real estate investment trusts, entities the Government invited into this State, with tax breaks and everything else, and now look what they are doing. Of course, it was the right time for them. Now, all Ministers and the people who were in government with them at the time are out to defend them, saying, "We had to do it", "It was a crisis situation" and "We absolutely needed to do it". When is the crisis going to hit in regard to workers? It was a crisis situation for Debenhams. It was a crisis situation for Clerys. It was a crisis for the workers in TalkTalk. It was a crisis for Vita Cortex. It was a crisis for Paris Bakery and La Senza. We could go on and on, yet it is never their time. It is never the time to legislate. Workers’ rights can always wait. They can always be put on the long finger by this Government.

It is shameful. I urge the Minister of State to withdraw the amendment and to work with the Deputies on this side of the House, those who are interested in advancing workers' rights and advancing protections for workers.

There is a great deal of talk about what we can legally hold onto and what is technical. In fact, when agreeing a collective agreement with an employer, there is give and take. I want to pay tribute to the workers in Debenhams because their courage, their bravery, their tenacity and their dignity in the face of what the State has thrown at them is a lesson to all of us. When reaching a collective agreement, there is give and take. It is never just about what the workers want and there always has to be compromise. They compromised with their collective agreement, they compromised on their custom and practice arrangements and everything else. Then, when push came to shove, all the compromising was on their side and the boss could make out like a bandit, and just head off into the sunset and leave them with nothing, after 30-odd years there.

I do not know how the Minister of State can stand over that. I do not know how he can look into the faces of the mostly women workers in Debenhams and say to them, "It is just not your time now; we will legislate at some point in future but just not now."

I sought a remedy with the Clerys workers. When Clerys closed the workers begged the Government at the time to do something and intervene to give them a dig-out or a hand. What did the Government do? It brought staff from the Department of Social Protection in to Liberty Hall. I was never as ashamed in all my life. They turned Liberty Hall into a dole office. That was the best the workers were offered. Then, when there was a clamour and cry and public outrage, there was a report. That report has sat on a desk or shelf and God knows where it is now because no one seems interested in implementing any of its findings.

The workers were assured that some action would be taken. They were given social welfare. As the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, outlined, they will have all their minimum entitlements, but they get those under the law in any event. That is all they got. There are nice words. A dictionary full of nice words were spoken by the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government, the Fine Gael-Independent Government and from the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party Government. Governments say they would love to help but it is simply not the right time. They will do something but not now.

Retail is facing an absolute catastrophe. According to Mandate, we need a new deal for retail workers. These are young workers. They are at the business end of the failure by successive Governments to legislate to protect their interests or protect them at work. These are vulnerable workers. Some are heading back after this pandemic to the status quothe Government created but others will not do so. What has the Minister of State to say to those workers? Will he say that now is not the time or that the Government would love to talk about workers' rights but not today? Will he say that the Government would love to protect the rights and entitlements of workers and collective agreements but not now? When will the time come for workers' rights? Everything seems to get kicked down the road.

I commend the Debenhams workers and the Deputies on bringing forward this legislation and thank them for providing an opportunity to discuss it.

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