Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am appalled by the Government's last-minute decision not to allow this Bill to progress. Deputy Joan Collins has received support from Mandate and the FSU. The Bill is credible, but the Government is refusing to allow it to move to the next Stage to be scrutinised. It is just not good enough and shows where this Government stands on workers' rights. We can all agree that the strength of the trade union movement mirrors the strength of workers' rights. Where the union is weaker, workers fare worse. Deductions of trade union subscriptions at the point of pay increase union strength and prevent union busting. I am proud of my track record as a union member and shop steward for many years. I speak to many young people and the one thing I say to them is to ensure they join a trade union. In a trade union, they will have strength in numbers. We are not where we need to be on workers' rights and there is a long path to travel yet. Deputy O'Reilly has put several proposals to the Minister of State. These are credible and represent Sinn Féin's vision for a dynamic and vibrant trade union sector that has the strength to negotiate for workers across all sectors.

I wish to briefly raise two issues concerning workers' rights. The workers in Activision Blizzard in Cork city face redundancy. It is expected that 136 jobs will be lost. These workers are represented by the FSU. Microsoft has indicated it is willing to engage with the union. This needs to happen now and the engagement needs to be constructive. I ask the Minister of State to make clear that this needs to happen because it is vital that it does so. I also ask him to intervene directly in the case of the Cork University Hospital housekeeping staff. They have been treated terribly for more than 12 months. Last week, they received notifications their annual leave would be denied because of the recruitment embargo the Minister of State's Government has brought in. This is a direct result of the Government's policies. As the Minister of State with special responsibility for business, employment and retail, I ask him to intervene and ensure these hard-working people, who keep the hospitals running, are allowed to take their well-earned breaks and will not be unfairly punished by Government decisions.

I finish by paying tribute to the Debenhams workers. Years after that dispute, the legislation that needs to be passed to protect other workers from ending up like the Debenhams workers has still not been finalised. I know the collective redundancy Bill has been moving through the Dáil and that Deputy O'Reilly has submitted amendments which would seek to prevent another situation similar to Debenhams. We are asking the Government to look at these constructive amendments. We have seen this not just with Debenhams, but also with Coca-Cola in Cork and Clerys in Dublin. This Bill needs to be passed and we need the Minister of State to take on board the constructive amendments that Deputy O'Reilly will introduce.

Today, the Government has sent a clear message to workers all over this island that it does not respect workers' rights.

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