Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment. I was not here on Committee Stage as I was asked at short notice to stand in this evening. I have not heard the actual arguments, but I accept the point Senator Cullinane has just made. The deletion of these lines is a proposal I would like to hear arguments about. The amendment implies that the court in any adjudication of a dispute may have regard to similar employments of an associate employer outside the State. In other words, the court would look at wages, salary and other conditions applying externally. I am not sure about that from a competitive point of view. Given the way our wages have gone, we are one of the highest paid countries across most of the world. Before the recession, research was done by a Glasgow university which placed us at the top of the pile of western European countries, particularly in urban areas. I do not see why the conditions in an associate company abroad would be of particular relevance. An associate company is not necessarily involved in the same business. There may be associated companies carrying on completely different activities. In fact, they may be in different sectors that have no relevance. Even if they are in the same sector, it is in a different economic environment. I am not sure why that would be pertinent for the Labour Court to consider. Perhaps the Minister of State might explain.