Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the amendments from Senators Warfield and Bacik. Their amendments are coming at the same issue. This is about specifically addressing the issue of part-time employees and Senator Bacik’s amendment looks at hourly remuneration. Senator Warfield’s amendment looks at the flexible working hours contract. Having sat on the employment committee in the last Oireachtas, I am very aware of non-fixed hour contracts and the particular vulnerability and preponderance of women who tend to be on part-time or non-fixed hour contacts. All of us are coming at the issue of part-time working, and in the case of Senator Warfield, part-time and flexible working.

In the case of my amendment, I do not specifically refer to part-time working, but I do refer to those people who are contracted for services. This is another missing piece of the puzzle. It is a bit different because it is a step away from the non-fixed hour contract. It relates to those who are contracted for services, perhaps because of the forced self-employment situations. People may be contracted and this may be their sole source of employment. Take, for example, persons contracted for cleaning services by a company over a five- or ten-year period. We should look to have a gender breakdown of that. Sometimes companies do quite well on the gender pay gap at the higher level within an organisation, but when it comes to part-time workers the difference is like the boardroom to the shop floor. When it comes to the shop floor or contracted services, that is where there are people on flexible contracts, non-fixed hour contracts and those who are part-time workers.That is often where the greatest inequity can occur, and it is important it would not end up being taken off the balance sheet or taken out of the reporting mix.