Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ireland became a member of the International Labour Organization, ILO, in 1923. It was the first international organisation the new State joined. We have been an active member ever since and in June 2021 we completed our first ever term as a titulaire, or full member, of the governing body of the ILO. Ireland is committed to being among the first ILO member states to ratify convention No. 190. To date, only ten of the 187 member states have ratified the convention and it is in force in three. A campaign within the Government is not necessary as the Government fully supports its ratification as a matter of priority. Ratification is being considered in the context of our standard approach to the ratification of international instruments. Under this approach, Ireland does not ratify a convention until it has been determined that national law is in line with the provisions of the international instrument. Convention No. 190 is the first ever international instrument on the very important issue of eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. Ireland already has very strong protections in law to combat violence and harassment in the workplace and has ratified the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, that is, the Istanbul Convention. Officials in my Department are engaging with all relevant Departments and offices to establish the extent to which domestic legislative provisions already provide for the rights and entitlements included in the convention, as well what as legislative amendments, if any, may be required to enable ratification. The Department is currently carrying out an analysis of the outcomes and engaging with legal advisers. Officials are meeting this week to ensure there are no gaps. Following this consideration, as part of the ratification process in the coming months the Department will undertake a stakeholder consultation with trade unions, employer bodies and other interested parties. The views of the Attorney General will also be sought after the consultation phase, followed by the formal approval by the Government of ratification. We anticipate that we will be able to ratify and sign the instrument by July 2022, but certainly no later than the end of the calendar year. A formal ceremony will then take place to present the convention to the director general of the ILO in Geneva.

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