Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to support Senator Gavan in his remarks on industrial disputes that are ongoing today. The Tesco issue is one that I feel quite strongly about. This does not have to be a divisive issue in this Chamber and I want to echo the call for the Minister in charge of this area to come to the House to talk about her vision for workers' rights in Ireland. Over the course of the last five years, on a statutory and legislative basis, Ireland is the only country in Europe to have had improvements in workers' rights, thanks in no small way to the efforts of my colleague, Senator Nash. However, regardless of discussions in the transport area where management is talking about profit margins, unsustainability and all the rest of it, it is quite galling to see that we have a huge multinational organisation, Tesco, making massive profits in this country and yet trying to pit one worker against another. It is quite gratifying and inspirational to see the voices of workers who are willing to step outside their own area of employment and to put their necks on the block for their fellow workers because of what management is doing.Let us be honest about this. Across parties in this Chamber, we have an opportunity to talk about the vision we have for work, for the future of work and for the rights that underpin that work. The European Union, of which we are a proud member, has helped in that endeavour. I join my Sinn Féin colleague in calling for the Minister to come to the House to outline her vision, if she has one. This will not go away; these disputes will continue. Media will always second-guess the motivations of workers and unions. At this point it is appropriate for the Minister to come and articulate in this Chamber whatever vision she may have. We can collectively underpin that agenda in this Chamber to ensure we stand for something much more basic and important than profit margins.