Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the Minister of State to the House. On Monday, 27 August, management at the Gleeson Group terminated the employment of eight workers, the majority of whom are active SIPTU trade union members. It was claimed that the job losses were part of a redundancy issue and that they were not sufficiently skilled for the work that they had been doing for the previous number of years. The next day, when the workers finished their jobs, management hired agency workers to take over their roles in the company. As of today, management has repeatedly refused to meet union representatives and has declined an invitation to attend the Labour Relations Commission to discuss the matter.

People have a constitutional right to join a union and it is defended under unfair dismissals legislation. SIPTU has said that the Gleeson Group had unilaterally reduced wages without written warning in breach of the Payments of Wages Act. As a Labour Party Senator and a lifelong supporter of the trade union movement, this kind of disregard for workers' rights must be challenged at every turn. I have been told that the Gleeson Group has refused to meet SIPTU representatives and ignored any attempts to discuss changes to terms and conditions of employment with the union or the Labour Relations Commission. That is unacceptable behaviour from an employer. It is incredible, as we approach the centenary of the Dublin Lockout, that we still have people being marginalised and discriminated against. We must be careful, as citizens and politicians, and ensure that the recession is not used by employers to attack workers' wages and conditions unilaterally without a proper cause or explanation. The Gleeson Group's refusal to recognise SIPTU and to allegedly sack workers for organising to defend their rights and entitlements reminds me of the days of William Martin Murphy.

I ask the Minister of State if his Department is aware of the situation faced by these workers in Ballyfermot. Is the Gleeson Group, their employers, in breach of the Payments of Wages Act? Has the Gleeson Group sought a rebate of the statutory redundancy payment made to its employees? What stage has been reached in the plan to reform workplace relations structures? When will the plan be implemented?