Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In its report, Understanding the Irish Economy in a Time of Turbulence, the NESC recommends transposing the European Union directive on adequate minimum wages in order to do two things, namely, to strengthen the national system of collective bargaining and to increase collective bargaining coverage. The research shows that countries with high collective bargaining coverage tend to have a lower share of low-wage workers and tend to have higher minimum wages relative to the median wage and overall, lower pay inequality. It also shows that higher wages attract more capable workers and that higher wages reduce staff turnover, boost quality and customer service and increase productivity. They also deliver better health outcomes for workers. What is not to like for all of society?

Yet in my own constituency, Tesco will not let trade union organisers inside the door. It does not want unions representing workers and the dot.com pickers and drivers in the Tesco store in Monread, Naas, or in the larger stores in Celbridge and Maynooth. Does the Taoiseach not think it is so short-sighted and old-fashioned, when one sees the whole-of-society benefits from proper wages and good representation?

Last week, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, called for effective implementation of the high-level group report and of the EU directive on adequate minimum wages. We know the directive must be transposed into Irish law by 2024. Can the Taoiseach confirm that he will implement the high-level group report? I know that when we had him in at the Joint Committee on Gender Equality, he was quite happy and certainly did not disagree with the questions we raised with him. Does he agree that collective bargaining should be the workplace norm, rather than the exception and will he show that he is ambitious for all of our workers?

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