David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 4, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:

"(a) has due regard to Ireland’s human rights obligations to guarantee the right to just and favourable remuneration,".

This amendment relates to labour market security for low-paid workers. On Committee Stage we discussed how permanent employment contracts, decent rates of pay, guaranteed working hours and decent working conditions are being increasingly eroded by demands for greater flexibility to hire and fire, growing use of temporary and part-time contracts and flexible hours, which we see with low-hour contracts. These are also issues a low pay commission should deal with. One of the flaws in setting a minimum or living wage arises from the lower paid workers, because of their hourly rate of pay and the nature of their contracts. We see this in the case of some workers in Dunnes Stores who are given these unfair lower contracts and, even though they have been working for 30 or 40 hours a week for several years, are stuck on these lower contracts and this has an impact on their terms and conditions of employment. This amendment attempts to ensure that the State has due regard to Ireland’s human rights obligations to guarantee the right to just and favourable remuneration.While I accept the Minister of State supports this objective in theory, I am interested in hearing his response to the amendment.