Dáil debates

Wednesday, 17 May 2006

Ceisteanna — Questions (Resumed).

Public Holidays.

1:00 pm

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Ireland has fewer public holidays than the majority of EU member states; if he intends to introduce two additional public holidays to bring Ireland up to at least the EU average; if he intends to follow through on the undertaking to introduce an additional public holiday in April to mark the 1916 Rising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18565/06]

Photo of Tony KilleenTony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I join my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, in welcoming Deputy Quinn's return to an area in which he has a particular interest and his attempt to tee up a good news story for me.

The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, which implemented EU Council Directive 93/104/EC of 23 November 1993 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time, provides for an entitlement to nine public holidays per annum. One of those nine public holidays is Easter Monday. The average public holiday entitlement in the EU at present is approximately 11 days per annum.

The Government's initiative was to reinstate the annual military parade at Easter to commemorate the Rising of 1916. It was not the intention to create any additional public holiday in this context and the Government has no proposals at the moment to increase public holiday entitlements.

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his salutary greeting. However, I am confused by his response. If I teed up a good news story, he missed the ball big time with a swipe that was way off the mark. Irish workers work harder, longer and more productively than any of their counterparts in the EU, as numerous figures and data show. They are entitled to the same level of time off as others in the European Union.

There would be no loss in productivity. If anything, the tourism sector would benefit from enlarged bank holiday weekends of the type we introduced for May Day and which the late Michael O'Leary introduced for the October Hallowe'en feast. The pattern of tourism consumption, activity and festival reinforces family and community life through structured and planned holidays which meet the European average and which are predictable.

I do not ask the Minister of State to introduce it this year or next but to phase it in so employers and organisations can factor in those costs. What I hear from Fianna Fáil is a refusal to give to Irish workers the same level of time off to which they are statutorily entitled as other workers in the European Union. Where is the benefit of that? Do Irish workers not work hard enough?

Photo of Tony KilleenTony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is well aware, there are considerable benefits to employees in the policies pursued by this Government. An enormous amount of work is done on the area of work-life balance. The report on the working place of the future makes 46 recommendations, among which is not numbered a proposal to create an additional public holiday.

The Deputy is aware that it has been the practice in this country that matters of this nature are dealt with in the context of partnership. Naturally, the Government is more than happy to co-operate with the social partners to establish the optimum conditions for working and living in this country. We have been very successful in so doing.

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The last time a public holiday was granted in this country, it was decided between Labour and Fianna Fáil in the context of a partnership for Government. There was no partnership other than the two political parties involved. The Minister of State should not try to shove this onto the social partners in Dublin Castle. This is a political choice which the Government can make. It is fair enough if the Government wants to run it through the social partnership mechanisms.

In terms of work-life balance — before we resumed in formal session in the House the Minister of State testified about traffic problems — an eight-hour free holiday, to which this would amount, amounts to approximately two and a half traffic jams for commuting workers throughout the country. That is one contribution the Government could make on work-life balance. If we had two structured additional holidays over the next number of years, we would be able to enhance the quality of life not only for individual families but also for communities. Employers also live in communities. It may come as a surprise to the Minister of State but many employers also like to have time off.

Photo of Tony KilleenTony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to address a number of issues in the short to medium term on the quality of working life. Among them is an issue recently addressed by the Government, namely, increasing the entitlement to carer's leave. I would like to pursue a number of other issues in that area.

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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That is because the Minister of State cannot get people in to help them.

Photo of Tony KilleenTony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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In that context, I have no difficulty in considering the creation of additional public holidays. However, I believe social partnership plays an integral and important role in our lives. It has been a major contributor to the success of the economy and the country. I would not be happy to take an initiative without reference to the social partners, notwithstanding the fact that the Government may be prepared to do so.

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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If the Minister of State is depending on IBEC to give people a day off, he can forget it.