Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to say today is International Justice Day for Cleaners and Security Staff. There are protests and events happening right across the world, organised by our wonderful trade union movements. I am particularly proud of my union, SIPTU. I used to represent our contract cleaners and security staff. I am glad to inform the House that there is a protest taking place right now outside University Hospital Limerick. The protest is because the workers have still not been paid their pandemic bonus of €1,000. Considering how poorly paid these workers are – the contract cleaners get just €11.90 per hour and, even worse, the security staff get just €11.65 because of the collapsed employment regulation order, ERO – it is outrageous that they have been left waiting so long for the bonus payment. These are the lowest-paid workers, the workers who kept our hospitals open during the Covid pandemic. They are on the front line every day.

I want to draw the attention of the House to the plight of the security staff, in particular, because the ERO has collapsed due to a High Court injunction. What I found incredibly disappointing was the complete lack of action from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and our Ministers to deal with that injunction. It has been sitting there for months. Negotiations for a new ERO have been started, but, relatively speaking, the rate of pay of security staff has never been lower, which is appalling. The lack of Government action needs to be called out. I am trying to do that this morning. I call for solidarity and support for the immediate payment of the bonus to all contract cleaners and security staff who qualify for it.

I have raised a couple of times the question of why the Houses of the Oireachtas do not act as a living-wage employer. Why can we not all agree here that the cleaning staff who work so hard across this building should be paid €13.85 per hour, the current living wage, and set an example for employers throughout the State in the public and private sectors? I have raised this before but we need to see it happen. There should be no delay.