Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the MEPs for attending the Seanad today. Workers' rights is probably one of the areas where the EU has one of the proudest records and it has undoubtedly been a driving force in progressing workers' rights, particularly in this country. I want to start by acknowledging the very important work done on the directive on adequate minimum wages, particularly by the European Parliament. I do not believe that any of the three MEPs present is on the employment rights committee, but I know their vote was obviously crucial to passing it through the Parliament. We await the adoption, by the Council, of the directive at the end of this month. After that, we have two years, as member states, to transpose to it. My appeal to our guests, as three Government party MEPs, is to urge the Government to ensure that we transpose this vitally important and transformative directive into Irish law in as full a manner as possible. The record of success of a number of Irish Governments in transposing EU workers' rights legislation has not been great. That is my direct appeal to the MEPs.

Second, I wish to commend the work of the MEPs on the gender pay transparency directive and, in particular, I welcome the threshold of workplaces of 50 persons. It stands in contrast to the legislation put through here. I want to welcome the work done on that. I also want to raise concerns on the platform work directive, which effectively has stalled at the moment, because of the attitude of certain parties and certain persons in the Council.I understand that there is a reticence within the Parliament so we must ask the following question. Can we stand by a situation where platform workers, which is a growing and emerging form of work across the industrialised developed world, are in a sector which is unregulated or these people are not recognised for the most part as employees? Flexible platform work can offer wonderful opportunities to some people but we know for many others it is a route into exploitative employment and a form of bogus self-employment so we need the sector regulated. We need the EU to show leadership in regulating this sector because, as we have seen here, the current Government does not want to regulate here and we need the EU to take up that mantle.

Yesterday, the Commission published proposals for the Single Market emergency instrument and at first glance the instrument looks very welcome. However, by replacing Regulation No. 2679/98 on the functioning of the Internal Market for the free movement of goods it will inadvertently remove the right and freedom to strike. We must not let that happen and I appeal to the MEPs.

Lastly, the massive climate crisis that faces us now is on everybody's minds. I believe that it is only with the financial firepower of the EU that we will make a dent in our targets. I welcome the work that Ciaran Cuffe has done on the energy performance of buildings directive because it is only through improving the energy efficiency of houses that we can begin to improve the situation and narrow the inequality that exists between so many households across this country.