Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today is a day to celebrate the workers of the world. There are two issues I want to raise initially, given the day that is in it.

The first concerns the treatment of whistleblowers. Earlier today, we discussed the absolute horror of the Grace case. I acknowledge all whistleblowers and the service they have done to this country. I call for extra protection for whistleblowers. Many people I know who have come forward with goings on about which they were really concerned suffered a personal cost for doing so. That is just a fact and it is happening today and on many days. The Bill brought forward some time ago by my colleagues, Deputies Farrell and Buckley, sought to set a gold standard for whistleblowers. We really need to look at how we treat whistleblowers in this country and address the fact we do not protect them.

I am also mindful on this International Workers' Day of the workers in Intel, about whom we spoke earlier, and also the workers in Carelon in Limerick. I am deeply concerned about what is happening there. I again ask the Minister to engage with the company in Limerick. Its closure would have a devastating impact not only on the workers and their families but also the wider Limerick area.

On International Workers' Day, we take the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution workers make to the economy and our society. Since coming into office, the Minister has reneged on many undertakings that were previously given. I am really concerned that he is on the wrong pathway. There has been a reversal on introducing the living wage, paid sick leave entitlements, increasing the minimum annual remuneration for employment permits and automatic enrolment for pensions. We spoke about that in depth earlier today. All of these measures the Minister signed up to have now been put on the back burner. That is not acceptable to me and my party and it is not acceptable to unions and workers. When will those initiatives be progressed? The Government will say that global trading uncertainty means we must pause the measures. I absolutely do not agree. The Government says it is being sensible and responsible. In fact, what it is doing is the height of irresponsibility. One cannot but wonder whether these row-backs are ideologically driven. Denying a worker an adequate living wage will hardly solve the global economic turmoil.

What is happening before our eyes is a race to the bottom dressed up as fiscal prudence. Low-paid workers are faced with a cost-of-living crisis and falling living standards. Workers have never worked so hard and never struggled so much. The Government's housing policies have resulted in ordinary workers and families being priced out of the market. The number of minimum wage jobs advertised last year was double what it was in 2023. What hope does a young couple working for minimum wage have of ever owning their own home? These are people who get up early every morning, sometimes seven mornings a week. They are people who strive to make life better for themselves and their families.

Irish trade unions have consistently been champions of the working class. I have met with representatives of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, on a number of occasions. Earlier this week, my colleague Deputy Guirke and I, along with ICTU and other representatives, participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Think-tank for Action on Social Change, TASC.

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The conference focused on the EU's adequate minimum wage directive, a critical directive for the Irish trade union movement. It is all about the State taking on an active role in the promotion of collective bargaining. I ask the Minister to ensure that the directive is implemented here and that the action plan is produced as quickly as possible. I will follow up on this at committee meetings. I implore the Minister to continue working on the action plan for the implementation of the directive. It is one of the most significant legislative measures that has come before us on union recognition.

I wish to draw the Minister's attention to the “good jobs” Bill, which has been introduced by the economy Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, Caoimhe Archibald. That Bill aims to introduce automatic trade union recognition in workplaces with ten or more employees.

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