Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I, too, thank Deputy Collins for tabling this straightforward but worthwhile legislation. The Bill will:

impose an obligation on employers, when requested in writing by an employee, to make deductions from the wages of such employee, and, not later than 21 days, remit the amount deducted, along with the written notice of the information required under section 6, to the relevant trade union that is specified in the written request.

That is very straightforward. The Bill aligns with the Social Democrats' values and seeks to strengthen workers' rights. We are very supportive of it. The Government amendment effectively does not permit this to move to the next stage on the basis that it places an administrative burden on business. That is astonishing. It is not greatly different from the auto-enrolment pensions, of which I am in favour, yet the Government makes this argument. This clearly demonstrates what the Department and Minister of State value above all else. The employer comes first and it is dismissive of union representation and the workers unions represent.

It is useful for an employer to have someone to negotiate with. We are not talking about the benefits, even from an employer's perspective. There are benefits in dealing with a group rather than a collection of individuals.

As Deputy Collins mentioned when the Bill was introduced, the purpose of the legislation is not to be overly complex. It simply looks to standardise a process such that an employer, when requested in writing by an employee to make deductions from that employee's wages, must remit the amount deducted to the appropriate trade union.

Reference has been made to this being a burden. It could not be more straightforward. This is why pension deductions happen at source, and there is no hullabaloo about that.

Ireland is one of the only advanced economies in the world where the state does not provide any route for employees to gain union recognition from their employer. Improvements to workers' rights have happened not because, for example, this House has afforded workers additional rights. Rather, they have happened because collective action has demanded those rights. That is where improvements come from.

For many workers, the current position makes the democratic right to union representation illusionary. The consequences of this are most severe for those in low-paid and precarious employment, such as the retail and hospitality sectors where there is an almost anti-union stand taken by employers. It is in these sectors that we see some of the lowest rates of pay and protections are traditionally poorer. These sectors are staffed by young people, women and migrants who may not have a good standard of English. That is all the more reason to make sure that people who are most at risk are those who have the highest levels of protection.

In-work poverty has become increasingly common. It is a critical situation and needs to be addressed. We are constantly lectured about how work takes people out of poverty. Work only takes people out of poverty if they are paid enough. Where does the demand for wage increases and organisation come from, except through collective action and membership of trade unions?

For the vast majority of Irish citizens, trade union membership is the most effective way to have their views represented in the decision-making process which governs their working lives. The Social Democrats advocate that responsibility for increasing collective bargaining coverage be assigned to a Minister of State so there can be no excuse to maintain a very poor rate of coverage.

I am fairly sure I recollect correctly that the Minister of State said in the House that he is a proud member of a trade union. I would have thought he would have been an advocate for others being able to simplify the opportunity to become involved in a trade union. It is quite a leap to object to something for others when he has advocated for it for himself.

All too often, the State is eager to please Europe and tries to be the best in class, although sometimes I have to question that in respect of the transposition of certain legislation. In September 202, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment published a note indicating that the deadline for transposing the directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union was 15 November 2024 and that the Department was working towards that date, rather than earlier. That is the deadline.

Other jurisdictions have much higher rates of coverage and the world has not fallen in on top of them. They function well. They are good economies and societies. I do not know what the fear is. In part, the directive seeks to address collective bargaining and Ireland is miles behind in terms of coverage. Europe wants to get collective bargaining coverage up to 80%. The European average is around 60% at the moment. However, the figure for Ireland is just 35%. I again reaffirm my support for the Bill. As I said, the Social Democrats will support it.

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