Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I take on board the remarks of Senator Casey. It is a valid point. There is a difference between the smaller hotel chains and employers and the big chains that are really cleaning up. We know they are cleaning up because their profits are published. I failed to get a hotel room for tomorrow night, when the Bruce Springsteen concert is on. The prices being charged in this city are outrageous. I support recommendation No. 2, in particular. Senator Casey has made the point that good information is always useful. It will help us make clear decisions. There is a point I always make about the hotel sector and Senator Casey will not be surprised that I make it again. In fairness, I think he has agreed with me. That sector needs a sectoral employment order, SEO, to put a base of decency at the floor to address the issue of low pay. It is not the only issue or the only reason people move but it is an issue and has been for some time.

I used to try to organise hotel workers. There are plenty of good employers out there and I am sure Senator Casey is one of them. I do not doubt that but it was noticeable that any time I tried to organise workers in hotels into trade unions, they were fired. That includes in Limerick. They were driven out. The best way to deal with low pay, terms and conditions - because sometimes, as Senator Casey said, it is not just the pay but the conditions, hours and so on - is to put in place an SEO like that done for early years educators. That is the model. If we are giving significant subsidies to the hotel sector, which we certainly are, the least the Government should do is ask the employers to engage in a process. The reason we do not have an SEO is the employer groups, specifically the Irish Hotels Federation, refuse to engage in talks. That is not acceptable to me and it should not be acceptable to the Government.