Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I second the motion. I thank Senators Averil Power and Jillian van Turnhout, who asked me to second the motion in her absence, which I am delighted to do. Senator Power has set out the salient parts of the charter for fair conditions at work and has elaborated on its importance, and I fully support her in that.

This motion is very timely and welcome in light of what we have seen happen in the recent past, with Dunnes Stores workers striking for the right to fair hours of work and an end to zero-hour contracts and, subsequently, the treatment of the former workers of Clerys. The very minimum anyone can expect is to be treated fairly in the workplace and to have the right, at the very least, to a decent number of working hours. How can any employer expect someone to work for less than what they would get on social welfare?

Just this morning, I got a telephone call from a man who was recently offered a job after many years of searching and applying for positions. This man was thrilled to have secured employment, albeit part-time, and it made him feel 100 ft. tall. However, he now finds he is being given four hours on two days a week and three hours on a third day, that is, 11 hours per week at €10 per hour, which makes €110 per week. If he stays at home and draws social welfare, he will get €188 per week. How can this be right? Employers must realise what they are doing to their employees and, if they do not, then we are obligated, as legislators, to make them aware and to protect employees.

Everybody has a right to expect a decent living wage which enables them to live with a bit of dignity and a reasonable standard of living. As a former employee of a trade union, I am fully aware of how unfairly some employees are treated by their employer. Employers can, at the drop of a hat, change the terms of employment or working hours, increase the workload with no extra payments and, in some cases, they have even reduced the pay. Their attitude is: "Take it or leave it. If you don't do the job, there are many more who will." However, let me be quite clear in what I am saying. I am talking about "some" employers as not all are so ruthless.

I have attended some Rights Commissioner hearings with people and I know how intimidating this can be for the ordinary worker, hence the need for union representation. Funnily enough, every time I went there, the employers, who would not recognise the unions and would not allow their workers the right of union representation, always had legal representation at this hearing. They did not represent themselves as they expected their employees to do. They always had someone there to represent them.

What are the employers worried about? Is it dominance by a trade union in the workplace? That is not what trade unions are about, nor indeed do they want to be about that. What they want is to see fair working conditions for their members. Surely that is not too much to ask. Most people want to work and want to do a fair day's work for a fair day's pay. It is common knowledge that the better one looks after one's employees, the better a return one gets, as Senator Ó Murchú has just told the Chamber. That is why I very much welcome the legislation on collective bargaining. This is progressive legislation which will give workers whose employers do not recognise trade unions or collective bargaining the mechanism to put forward claims around their pay, terms and conditions and working conditions, and it means both sides can actively participate in negotiations. I also look forward to the legislation which will establish the new Low Pay Commission on a statutory basis. This commission will give a yearly report to the Minister with its recommendations. I believe the first report is due on 15 July and I eagerly await its findings.

This morning Senator van Turnhout read out statistics on the number of children who go to bed hungry. Why? It is because of a failure by successive Governments to ensure a living wage that will ensure a minimum standard of living and a former Government that saw fit to reduce the minimum wage. What was it thinking? Thankfully, we have addressed this, and it is to be hoped, following the report from the Low Pay Commission, that we will be looking at increasing this further.

In a poll conducted in June, the key findings showed that 86% agreed that the minimum wage should be increased while 77% agreed it should be the same as a living wage. It also found that 86% agreed the Government should do more to prevent the use of low-hour contracts. Last week the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Dáil and it will become the law of the land shortly. The Bill largely reinstates registered employment agreements, REAs, and also provides for sectoral agreements. Many of those who will be covered by the legislation work in exposed or low pay sectors of the economy. The Bill provides us with an important tool to protect their conditions of employment.

While there is an absence of specific data, it is believed that low-hour contracts are most commonly found in the retail, hospitality, health and education sectors. A research team from the Kemmy business school at the University of Limerick has been appointed to conduct the first Government study into the prevalence and impact of zero-hour and low-hour contracts in Ireland. Perhaps the Minister would update us on that.

The motion refers to procurement. I had a recent Commencement debate matter proposing that the tendering process be done on a regional basis rather than a national basis. Some small businesses cannot compete with the big multinationals and big businesses, which can tender at much lower prices. If it was done on a regional basis, it would keep the work in the regions. I have discussed this with the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, and we have been working on it.

I could say more but I will conclude. I commend the Taoiseach's nominees on bringing forward this timely motion, which I am very happy to second.