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

Violence and harassment in the workplace are unacceptable and undermine the principles of human rights. We have comprehensive legislation in Ireland to protect against this and the International Labour Organization, ILO, convention sends a clear signal to workers and employers that every workplace must be free from harassment and violence.

I was committed to Ireland being an early ratifier of this convention. I am particularly pleased that we have met the timeline to ratify this convention before the end of 2022 in line with the Minister for Justice's new zero-tolerance action plan on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Since the Government approved its ratification on 29 November 2022, my Department has engaged with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the ILO to arrange the signing of the instrument of ratification by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the depositing of the treaty with the ILO in Geneva. We expect to complete the process by the end of 2022.

The ILO is unique in the UN system with governments, workers and employers working together to promote decent work and advance social justice. I thank IBEC and ICTU for their work on this. The strong relationship we have with employer and employee representative bodies is fundamental to our ability to play an active role within the ILO.

The world of work has altered so much since 1923 when Ireland, as a new State, joined the ILO, its first international organisation. I am pleased that Ireland, through ratification of this ILO Convention, is taking a strong stand against violence and harassment in the workplace.

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