Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second the proposed amendment to the Order of Business. I warmly welcome the Bill and the updating of the 2015 legislation. It is hugely important that we talk not only about a living wage but a living income in terms of the adequacy of income, particularly for low-income workers.

The issue I want to bring to the attention of the House is that, last Friday a report arrived on the desk of the Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment from the Labour Court containing a recommendation for a sectoral employment order for the construction sector. I understand the Minister will have six weeks to decide whether to approve or otherwise this sectoral employment order. This obviously has been the subject of negotiation between both unions and employers, as well as in terms of their submissions to the Labour Court and the process within the Labour Court itself. There is a particular urgency that if the Minister fails to sign off on this sectoral employment over the next six weeks order to take effect in 2025 for construction workers in terms of pay increases for them next year, then it will be a whole 12 months before a sectoral employment order can be revisited. There is a crucial issue with regard to timing. I ask that a letter be sent from the Deputy Leader on behalf of Senators in this House urging haste on the Minister to make a speedy decision on the recommendations from the Labour Court on the construction sectoral employment order and that it be approved as soon as possible.