Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a matter that was missed in the news yesterday for the most part. The European Committee of Social Rights has produced a very important report detailing that Ireland is far from compliant in basic labour law. Indeed, we come out as one of the worst countries in western Europe. It highlights the lack of a right to collective bargaining. It highlights, in particular, the really poor levels of pay for people under the age of 20. The Deputy Leader may be aware that the minimum wage starts at €7.91. This committee has called that out and highlighted that it does not ensure a decent standard of living. It has also highlighted that the Garda and our military still do not have proper trade union rights. It is quite a damning report.

The president of the committee, Professor Aoife Nolan, said the Government has been aware of this for many years but has not taken steps to address the issue. It is time we had an urgent debate on labour rights in Ireland, taking notice of this report. It is no coincidence that collective bargaining rights on average across Europe are at 60% whereas here in Ireland it is almost half that at 35%. There is a new directive, but my concern is that Irish governments have implemented EU directives on labour rights in a very minimalist way. The directive on European works councils is a clear example where it is just not working. We need to have a proper debate on how this directive is applied and to address urgently the issues of collective bargaining rights and the rights of young workers in particular. Sinn Féin believes it is not acceptable for young workers to be paid less than the actual minimum wage. We have a Bill on the Seanad Order Paper to address that issue. I would like to think that if we moved it, we would get the support of everyone in this Chamber. I am asking for a debate on the issue.