Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Tóibín. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Bill and commend Deputy Collins and her group on having introduced it. At face value, it seeks to protect workers who want to have their union fees deducted at source, checked off and submitted to the union. That is fine but I want to speak about the implications it might have for small business.

A huge proportion of small businesses in this country have their backs to the wall. We in the Regional Group tabled a Private Members' motion last week seeking supports for the small business and enterprise sector. They are the backbone of our economy. Not every shopkeeper, butcher or plumber follows the Elon Musk philosophy. They are trying to make a living for themselves and maybe for two or three workers with them. That is the backbone of our economy and we need to respect and protect it.

I often cringe when I hear politicians take credit for increasing the minimum wage, as if the Government or the taxpayer were paying for it. The fact is all small business people have to stump up this additional money and while I do not disagree with the minimum wage being increased, we have to take into account the cost of doing business for shopkeepers and so on and wonder why they are closing down, and for the little restaurants, coffee shops and so on that we have all come to expect, see and love. How many sole trader butchers are left in our towns at this stage? There is a wake-up call in the context of this debate whereby we have to take care of people who are trying to make a living and to help people.

No doubt, trade unions have a vital role to play in the economy, such as through collective bargaining. As somebody who worked in the construction industry for over 30 years, I appreciate the impact and the support of trade unions in that industry. Nevertheless, we cannot have the same rules and regulations for every industry and there are so many small industries here that we have to take cognisance of that. We can use the debate to deride businesspeople and call them billionaires and whatever else but most of the businesspeople in this country are hanging on by a thread with the working conditions they have now and the costs of doing business that have been thrown at them. These are indigenous, hardworking people who might have to work 70, 80 or 90 hours a week to keep open the doors of their business.

We have to call that out for what it is. It is a dedication and a commitment, and it is also something we often do not speak about because we lump all employers together and compare global companies and the Elon Musks with the butchers and bakers in our towns and villages. We have to be careful to show respect to and commend people who are keeping open the doors of these businesses through thick and thin. They are trying to provide for their families and do not take anything from the State other than whatever supports they can give back.

This should not be an anti-business or anti-employer debate, because there are too many small businesses to which we need to show respect.

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