Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste is very welcome. This is a very important day. The Bill is of enormous importance to workers. I welcome this. It is about the protection of workers and showing that Fine Gael, a party of government, is the party of the worker. The Tánaiste is right that this is the fifth piece of legislation he will introduce on workers' rights. I remind Opposition Senators that this Bill is building on legislation relating to paternity leave, parental leave benefit, enhanced maternity benefit, treatment benefit and the extension of social insurance benefits to the self-employed. I ask those opposite to go and tell the people they speak to every day that Fine Gael is the party of the worker. Work will pay and does pay under Fine Gael. Senator Gavan may well smile at me but the reality is that we are the party of the worker. We will always do the right thing for the worker in this country. This is what government is about. It is not about populism but making tough decisions that will benefit the worker and ensure the worker and the employer can prosper and survive in a world that is very challenging at present.

Senators Burke, Kyne and Carrigy mentioned the issues raised with us by some of the small and medium enterprises and the concerns they have about a potential knock-on effect. There was engagement in the consultation process. There is concern among those in retail, the fast food industry and hospitality. I hope their concerns can be met and that in the implementation we can develop a working schedule in respect of the Bill.

Today is important. It is about ensuring that work does pay and that we protect our workers. Our economy is not about pounds, pennies and shillings. It is about the worker and the ability to go out and perform work. We have seen from Covid-19 that the world of work has changed. Under this Government and that which preceded it, there has been further enhancement of the rights of and protections for workers. This should be saluted and acknowledged in the House.