Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The EU directive on adequate minimum wages is a significant opportunity to improve workers' rights and increase productivity in the Irish economy. The success of the directive relies on the domestic legislation underpinning it and the plan on collective bargaining that will be presented to European Commission as part of its transposition. The need for collective bargaining to be protected by legislation has never been greater. We have seen a race to the bottom for terms and conditions for workers and an increase in low-paid work and the marginalisation of trade unions and workplace democracy.

Workers' rights must be given priority and firm legal protections enacted. We fully support the trade union movement and its campaign on the right to organise. Does the Government support those objectives? It is only through collective bargaining that we can ensure that Ireland addresses the productivity difficulties that persist across the economy. Adopting both of these approaches can ensure good jobs, decent work and delivering a strong economy that addresses the causes of low pay and poor working conditions at source.

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