Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot say I agree. We have obligations for employers, which are set out under terms of the employment information Act.It requires employers to provide each employee with a written statement of the employee's terms of employment and to notify him or her of any change in the particulars given in the statement. An employer cannot provide terms of employment that are in breach of any of the provisions of the approximately 130 Acts that govern this area. An employer has an obligation to tell an employee exactly the grounds on which he or she is employed. The National Employment Rights Authority, NERA, and, in future, the workplace commission do not only have an obligation, but also good procedures for informing people through websites, telephone lines, simplified complaints forms and plain English guides to the various enactments. Putting up some abbreviated form or notice in the corner of a tea room that was not kept up to date would confer no benefit that would be worth making it an obligation on employers.

We are trying to provide something that encourages compliance without finding new obligations. The Senator knows well what the response would be, namely, the cost would be an unfair burden and it would not be effective. If people want up-to-date information on employment rights, they ask NERA, which covers all of the legislation. It is not the obligation of an employer to refresh continually a notice of these provisions in one or more languages. I do not see the practicality of what the Senator is seeking. We are trying to make it easier for employers to employ, not to add costs. We are trying to make a system that is more easily and effectively enforced. We are not trying to make new provisions that, though appearing nice on paper, will require 200,000 or 300,000 workplaces to take action, keep notices up to date, etc. It would not be the correct approach.