Results 1,881-1,900 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I move amendment No. 30: In page 10, line 18, to delete "which" and substitute "whom".

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: Following advice from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on Committee Stage I brought forward an amendment to delete the option for employee representatives to approve a pre-existing agreement. This amendment was brought forward to address concerns that in practice the Bill would not allow existing employee representatives to approve the pre-existing agreements. Amendment No. 31 has the...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The original difficulty arose because had the wording not been changed it would have been impossible to approve a pre-existing agreement at all.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: Existing employee representatives who de facto have constructed, approved and built up the procedure would not be in a position to approve it. That is the nub of the problem of how it would be approved.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I have illustrated one procedure, namely that employee representatives appointed specifically to approve an agreement could do so.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: Employee representatives. That is one example which differs from a secret ballot. It allows the parties to use whatever system may already be in place in an undertaking but also allows parties to put in place a weighted system with numerous branches containing slightly different procedures, and where perhaps the parent plant has a great number and some of the others have quite small numbers....

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: On Committee Stage I undertook to write to Deputies Howlin and Hogan on various issues raised which were relevant to these two amendments, and I wrote to both Deputies last week. The Bill provides in section 12 and Schedule 3 for many of the matters raised in Deputy Howlin's amendment in particular. The Bill provides for the right of employee representatives to make a complaint to a rights...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I move amendment No. 37: In page 13, to delete all words from and including "enactment" in line 37 down to and including "enactment." in line 39 and substitute "enactment.". I thank Deputy Howlin for drawing my attention to this matter on Committee Stage and for retabling his amendment today. After a detailed discussion with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the value and necessity...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I thank Deputy Hogan for his amendment. Arising from the Committee Stage debate, I sought advice from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the scope of the wording of section 15(2)(a). Based on this advice, I am tabling amendment No. 40 which effectively deals with the point raised by Deputy Hogan.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I move amendment No. 40: In page 14, line 17, to delete "usually used by the parties concerned" and substitute "in place in the employment concerned".

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I undertook on Committee Stage to check this matter. The clear advice of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel is that these amendments are not necessary as Part 1 of the Schedule to the Interpretation Act 2005 provides that "oath", in the case of a person for the time being, being allowed by law to affirm or declare, instead of swearing, includes affirmation or declaration.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I thank the Deputy for the proposed amendment. I have consulted the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and I have been advised that subsection (6) clearly represents an exception to subsection (5) in the context of the Bill and, therefore, the amendment is not necessary.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I move amendment No. 44: In page 19, line 40, to delete ", unless the context otherwise requires,".

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I have considered this matter at considerable length. The difficulty is that there are so many circumstances and so many different workplaces that having four meetings a year would not achieve much since the same information would be available at all of them and there is little change. It is important to stress that the twice yearly meetings provided for are the legislative minimum. If the...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I certainly would not consider it desirable that the scenario about which Deputy Howlin is concerned would occur. At the same time there are a number of provisions, including section 10(3), for the review of the standard rules and there are provisions whereby employers and employees can agree in their particular circumstances the number, form and format of the consultations. In those...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The Bill as it stands recognises the role of trade unions and undertakings where it is the practice of the employer to engage in collective bargaining negotiations. This goes further than what is envisaged in the directive. In undertakings where collective bargaining is not the practice, trade union members or officials who are employees of the undertaking would be free to nominate candidates...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I thank Members for their co-operation and the staff likewise.

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: As I stated on Committee Stage, it took a considerable amount of work to bring section 6 to the stage at which it appears in the legislation. It is a balanced provision. As I stated earlier, it provides a role for trade unions in the legislation, which is more than can be said for the directive. I am concerned about the impact of any of Deputy Morgan's amendments or all of them taken...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: It would be difficult to exaggerate the extent to which this section was considered in the various processes undertaken before the Bill was published. I will not bore the House with the details, some of which would hardly be appropriate in any event. It is a balanced response to some of the submissions which were made. I am aware of the views of congress and of the employers. I am perfectly...

Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stages. (22 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I would like to hear the two sides of the argument.