Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

As Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, I am extremely proud to address Dáil Éireann today on International Workers’ Day to recognise the important role of workers to Ireland’s success and their value to the economy. This country, its workers and its businesses, have come through a series of deep crises over the past number of years - Brexit, Covid, the war in Ukraine and, currently, global tariff uncertainty. These crises have forced us to change and adapt how we work perhaps more rapidly and fundamentally than we have seen before in our lifetimes.

It is truly remarkable that we have done so in a climate of widespread industrial relations peace. It is a huge achievement and is something which we as a Government are careful not to take for granted.

We recognise that this stability requires open and constructive dialogue with all the social partners; effective industrial dispute resolution mechanisms; a healthy economy; and strong rights and protections for workers. There is little doubt that industrial peace in Ireland is contributing in a very tangible way to Ireland’s current remarkable economic growth and success. We have built an international reputation as a stable and open global economy with a dynamic workforce that is flexible, creative and highly skilled. A peaceful industrial relations environment helps Ireland to continue to attract foreign direct investment and to ensure people have access to high-quality jobs.

lreland’s stable industrial relations climate provides certainty for both domestic and international businesses investing in Ireland. The voluntary nature of Ireland’s industrial relations system has proven effective over many years, with generally low levels of industrial unrest. The role of the State has been to underpin a voluntarist system through the provision of a framework and institutions through which good industrial relations can prosper. This system has served us well over the decades and there is an extensive range of statutory provisions in place to provide the legislative support for a voluntary system in industrial relations.

The State provides industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms, such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court, to support parties in resolving their differences. This is critically important for maintaining industrial peace, as evidenced by the resolution of significant industrial disputes without recourse to industrial action. The WRC and the Labour Court play a crucial role in maintaining harmonious industrial relations by providing guidance and resolving disputes. In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, we will continue to support the central role of the WRC and the Labour Court in industrial relations and employment rights.

Recent employment law developments have resulted in improved conditions for workers, and this Government and my Department have driven much positive and progressive changes over the last few years. In looking back over the last few years, we have achieved a significant amount to further enhance the protection of employees. Most recently, in January, the European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Defence Forces) Regulations 2025 were signed into law. These important regulations provide that the statutory protection of the Organisation of Working Time Act is now applied to members of the Defence Forces.

The Employment Permits Act 2024 introduced significant changes to the employment permit systems in Ireland, including the introduction of a new seasonal employment permit. This is a short-term permit that will allow non-EEA nationals to work in seasonal employment for up to seven months per year.

The Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 was commenced on 1 July 2024. The Act amended the Protection of Employment Act 1977 to further enhance the protection of employees facing collective redundancies caused by their employer’s insolvency.

As Deputies will all be aware, January 2023 saw the introduction of a statutory sick pay entitlement, which marked a key policy development in Ireland. Originally for three days, the entitlement was increased to five days in January 2024. The Act provides a crucial safety net to workers who become ill. It again underscores the Government’s commitment to progressive employment law and the protection of the welfare and well-being of Ireland’s workforce.

Since the introduction of statutory sick leave in 2023, and subsequently the increase in the sick leave entitlement to five days in 2024, business owners, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors, have consistently raised concerns about the cumulative impact of such measures in light of rising labour, input and energy costs. Research, including research by my Department, has shown that firms in the retail, accommodation and food services sectors were likely to be more impacted should the statutory sick leave entitlement increase from five to seven days. Following this work, and in line with the relevant legislation, statutory sick pay will remain at five days. Five days’ sick leave strikes the right balance. It gives workers income protection for five days, after which illness benefit is there to support them.

The tips and gratuities Act, which has now been in operation for over two years, obliges employers to distribute tips fairly and to prominently display their tips distribution policy. The Act provides a more secure financial foundation for workers in the hospitality and service industries. This legislation was further enhanced in December 2023 when new fines were introduced for any businesses found breaching the Act.

Other important legislation enacted in December 2022 was the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Regulations 2022, which has helped change working conditions in Ireland for the better. These regulations ensure employees receive more complete information on their work, set new limits on probationary periods and offer workers enhanced rights to seek additional employment.

This Government has protected and will continue to protect workers when they need it most, for example, when they lose their jobs due to their employer's insolvency. Last July, I introduced a range of changes to employment law and company law to further enhance the protection of employees. This included greater collective redundancy consultations, expanded opportunities to seek redress from the WRC and increased transparency for workers during the liquidation process. The Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 delivered these changes. The Act also established a new employment law review group, which will advise me on matters of employment law in accordance with its work programme. I was pleased to appoint the members of the group earlier this year, and to welcome the group officially at its inaugural plenary meeting on 4 March. My Department’s assessment of the Act is outlined in the post-enactment report, which I will lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas shortly.

A healthy and safe workforce is a key element of our national competitiveness and productivity. Supporting the work of the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, to ensure safety in the workplace is a key enabler for this. In 2024, 34 people sadly lost their lives to work-related fatalities. It is important to recognise that families, colleagues and communities have been left devastated because of lives lost in work-related incidents. While any number of workplace deaths is too many, the figure represents a decrease from 43 the previous year and the lowest number of fatalities on record since the HSA was established in 1989. This demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction, and it is thanks in part to the hard work and commitment of the authority. There has been a significant increase in funding and in the sanctioning of staff numbers for the HSA in recent years, which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to resourcing the authority. These staff are critical to carrying out the important work of inspecting, enforcing, promoting, educating, raising awareness, increasing understanding and securing commitment across all workplaces.

Strong occupational health and safety regulations can enhance a company's competitiveness by reducing the costs associated with workplace-related accidents and illnesses. This includes lower insurance premiums, fewer legal liabilities, and less downtime. The authority provides a range of supports, tools and guidance, a call centre and e-tools such as Work Positive and e-learning. BeSMART.ieis a free online tool developed by the HSA that enables the generation of workplace risk assessments and safety statements for small businesses.

The HSA’s occupational health division will develop and deliver targeted programmes and strategies to address new ways of working. Investment in divisions like these represent a stronger longer-term State investment in good worker health, reducing workplace injuries and illnesses and improving the competitiveness of Irish businesses. Similarly, the HSA’s health and social care advisory committee engages with relevant stakeholder groups in the health and social care sectors, including the nursing unions. The committee creates a platform for key stakeholders to collaborate with the HSA in promoting and advising on best practices in occupational health and safety within this crucial sector.

With regard to looking forward and what is to come, the programme for Government sets out a strong enterprise and fiscal framework which will prioritise, among other elements, economic and employment growth. Measures include recognising the work of the independent Low Pay Commission, ensuring fair wages while also supporting the viability of small- and medium-sized enterprises; supporting the central role of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court; promoting flexible working arrangements; and publishing an action plan for collective bargaining.

The EU directive on adequate minimum wages requires member states where the collective bargaining rate is less than a threshold of 80%, as is the case in a majority of EU states including Ireland, to establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining. The programme for Government contains the commitment to finalise an action plan the end of 2025 and I am strongly committed to working towards this with our social partners.

As part of the WRC's refocused strategic direction, it will undergo a restructuring that includes establishing a new strategic knowledge, information and advisory services division.

The new division will focus on knowledge, information and advisory services, and enhancing engagement with employers and employees to develop greater awareness of employment rights and responsibilities. The strategic knowledge information and advisory service will form an integral part of the WRC's next strategic plan, whereby the commission will increase its emphasis and focus on promoting industrial relations harmony and best practices in the State, with a dedicated service focused on education, information and best practices through information sessions, conferences and other stakeholder engagements.

On 14 April, my Department launched a public consultation to obtain the views of interested stakeholders across the wider enterprise and employment sectors on the content of the action plan. It is intended that this consultation process will help guide us on the proposals that may be included. I hope there will be a strong response from a wide variety of stakeholders. I encourage all interested parties to engage with the consultation. A strong and well-functioning collective bargaining system is an important way to support and promote fair wages, particularly in low-paid sectors. Collectively bargained agreements also play a positive role in increasing productivity for businesses and promoting the protection of industrial harmony, which is crucial to our economy.

On 10 April, my Department launched a public consultation on the proposal to introduce a new regulation to extend the late working hours exemption for young persons to unlicensed premises in order that they fully align with those provided for in regulation for licensed premises under the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996. We want to ensure working conditions for young people are fair and appropriate. I look forward to receiving feedback from the consultation, which will help guide our understanding of current working conditions for young people in both licensed and unlicensed workplaces.

I am also advancing legislation to protect older workers who have a contractual retirement age below the State pension age. The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Bill 2025 will deliver this new employment right. It will allow, but in no way compel, an employee to stay in employment until the State pension age of 66. An employee who consents to retire at his or her contractual retirement age can still do so. This element of consent reflects that many employees may want to retire at the contractual retirement age. The Bill implements a commitment included in the Government's response to the recommendations and implementation plan of the Commission on Pensions. One of the key objectives of the Bill is to bridge the income gap experienced by workers who are required to retire at an age lower than the age at which they can access the State pension. l am very mindful of ensuring both employers and employees have the time to get to grips with this new employment right. That is why I am committed to ensuring there is an appropriate lead-in time and information campaign on this new right, following the Bill's enactment. I will also ask the WRC to update its code of practice on longer working to take account of the changes introduced. The Bill completed Second Stage in this House on 8 April. I hope the Dáil and Seanad will move ahead to enact the Bill in the coming months.

In the coming weeks, I intend to seek Government approval to publish a new Bill to further strengthen the safety net for employees of insolvent employers. The protection of employees (employers' insolvency) (amendment) Bill 2025 will deliver several important changes. Most importantly, it will expand access to the insolvency payments scheme to include employees of employers who cease trading without formally winding up their business. This situation is sometimes called informal insolvency. The Bill will provide a new statutory process for such employees to apply to have their employer deemed insolvent and to recover their outstanding moneys from the insolvency payments scheme. I welcome the support for the Bill from the previous Oireachtas committee during its pre-legislative scrutiny process.

My Department engages with both employers and employer bodies to foster positive attitudes towards the employment of people with disabilities. My Department is also currently collaborating in the development of the upcoming national disability strategy. The draft strategy has five pillars, connected to various areas of life. My Department and the Departments of Social Protection, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform form the employment pillar. As part of the strategy, which is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, my Department will continue to facilitate ongoing dialogue between disabled persons' organisations and employer representatives to support the employment of people with disabilities.

During my first week as Minister, I directed work to begin on the design of a voluntary code of practice to support the hiring of workers with a disability. Some businesses and State agencies already have some form of best practice procedures, and this is to be applauded. There is also a role for a code that will have a particular focus on neurodiversity, learning from excellent examples already being applied in various private sector settings. Engagement with stakeholders on this has already commenced and I look forward to the results of this work.

All of these recent and upcoming developments highlight the Government's continuing commitment to a safe working environment, fair treatment and fair wages for the lowest-paid workers in our economy. Today, on International Workers' Day, I extend my thanks to all the workers of Ireland, who hold up and support our entire economy.

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