Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We should not lose sight of the fact that the overall ambition of the directive relates to the national minimum wage. Ireland has the sixth highest national minimum wage of the 22 EU member states that have national minimum wages. The directive does not attempt to set the minimum wage. Rather, it is about consultation when setting new minimum wages. That is something Ireland is a leader on already and something on which we are continually working.

Regarding trade unions and activity within them, it is up to individual workers to decide how they want to conduct their negotiations. We cannot lose sight of that. We want to increase access to collective bargaining, but people should also have their own choice about how to negotiate.

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