David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I asked the Minister to clarify if it would be necessary to amend the Constitution in order to legislate for a right to collective bargaining. In his response, the Minister said that it had been established in a number of legal cases that the constitutional guarantee to freedom of association does not guarantee workers' rights to have their union recognised for the purpose of collective bargaining. Is it correct, therefore, that it would require a change in the Constitution to establish the absolute right to collective bargaining? Is that a fair assessment of the situation?