Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to take No. 18, the National Minimum Wage (Removal of Sub-minimum Rates of Pay) Bill 2021, ahead of No. 1.

I will raise two issues today. I wish the talks between the hospitality sector and the Government well today. We are all anxious to see progress and to see indoor dining becoming possible as soon as it is safe to do so. I wish to draw attention to one thing. This morning, Adrian Cummins stated that he wanted all partners in the room and he is right to say that. In that respect, I notice the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, has requested to be a part of those talks and, in fact, wrote to the Tánaiste over the weekend making that request. It is an eminently sensible idea. ICTU has already made some sensible proposals in relation to helping the hospitality sector, including the introduction of a continuous antigen testing programme, possibly modelled on meat factories' experience. To put this into context, who else is going to stand up for front-line workers in the hospitality sector? Surely, we need a union voice at those talks. I hope that nobody from the restaurant association or the hotel industry would object to that. It is a perfectly reasonable request. I call on the Leader's assistance in supporting that request today, if possible.

The second issue I want to raise is in relation to nursing homes. We are all aware of the real concerns about nursing homes over recent weeks. There have been serious allegations of neglect and abuse, and, of course, the horrendous death toll in nursing homes. I refer to the exposé on "RTÉ Investigates" last week. I join with others in calling for a public investigation into these issues. In fairness to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, she has promised to investigate these issues. It is urgent that we do so and I believe it needs to be a public investigation. The thing that has concerned me for some time - I have raised this before - is the model that is used. Over the last 30 years, we have moved from 80% public-sector control of elder care to 80% private-sector control. That did not happen by accident. There has been a rapid privatisation of elder care and yet I do not remember it being a cause for debate or discussion across politics, but that is what has happened.

I know from my experience as a trade union official that the private-sector for-profit model is based on minimum rates of pay and extremely poor conditions at work. This results in a significant turnover of staff which in turn relates to a disimprovement in quality of care for our elders and loved ones. I pose the question: if a nursing home is not prepared to deal with a trade union, could a person trust it to look after his or her loved one? The reality is that the private nursing home sector at the moment consistently refuses to engage with trade unions. That is why one will never see a trade unionist talking about what is happening in terms of the pandemic, one only sees the nursing home managers. That is a fundamental flaw in a poorly structured sector, and I call for a debate on it.