Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

I agree that trade unions should be included in the section. I was involved in the postal and telecommunications union and was president of one of the union branches. We had a scheme of worker participation which encouraged workers who were not trade union activists to participate in decision making, and there were suggestion schemes and so on. I am sure all that still exists. Since I left that business, the trade unions and management have a new label as partners, and they work well together to make decisions. There has not been a major strike in the postal service since 1979 when we were out for 14 weeks, as I well remember, and this gives some indication of the current position. Trade union involvement is seen positively by most employers because it is a stabilising factor and worker participation boosts the morale of workers in that they are involved in decision making in some small way.

I would like to think the omission was an oversight or that the Bill was written by some former regulator who was used to dealing with the hierarchy and forgot about the trade unions. I am sure the Minister will address this point. While it is not a big deal, it would be a mistake and could cause serious problems down the line with the trade union movement.

Post office users were referred to. At the time I worked in the business, there was a post office users council which members of the public could feed into. The council met every month and was headed by unions and management which worked together on various committees. This is to give the Minister a picture of how the process operated. If this reference was omitted, it would do a huge disservice to the unions which have played a major role in bringing the post office to its current efficiency level. I ask the Minister to consider the issue which I believe is caused by an oversight.