Phil Prendergast (Labour)

This Bill will go some way to address workers' concerns in regard to displacement in particular industries. We are all aware of the changes in the construction industry. Under this Bill, employers would not be able to discriminate against workers and would have to give them proper pay and conditions. A Pakistani worker who had to work 60 hours per week and was paid €50 per week by a restaurant was fired when he complained. The Labour Court subsequently awarded him a very large sum in compensation, which was justified. It should not have happened in the first place. The appalling way Irish Ferries treated its staff has been mentioned.

I heard some on the Government side rightly say that all workers should be entitled to earn an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, with which we agree. The Labour Party would stand over such treatment of workers because workers' dignity should be protected and they should get fair pay for the work they do.

We should not lose sight of the fact that the continuous exploitation of agency workers is not only awful for those involved but it poses a significant threat to the labour force. Employees' pay and conditions will be undermined if this situation is allowed to continue. Therefore, as a result of the Government's continued opposition to the draft EU directive on agency workers, it is the Labour Party's view that legislation is needed to protect the rights of workers and to ensure agencies which recruit workers are not allowed to circumvent quality provisions of employment, that agency workers are entitled to equal and fair pay and working conditions and that they should not be treated less fairly than others.

There are some instances where agency workers might accrue a higher rate of pay, for example, nursing. At one stage, I did agency nursing. The downside is that one must be available at very short notice to work unsociable hours often at Christmas and Easter when other people are off. Nurses must be available 24 hours per day, seven days per week and 52 weeks per year, whether they like it or not. The Bill is about how we treat people and we should not discriminate against anybody.