Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am very concerned about the issues raised by the Migrant Rights Centre and strongly condemn any practices by employers that may result in non-compliance with employment rights entitlements or any other mistreatment of employees, including those on employment permits. I have expressed these concerns directly with representatives of the Migrant Rights Centre when I met them in April 2010. As I indicated at that meeting, it is the case that Ireland's Employment Rights Legislation establishes the framework of statutory rights applicable to all people working in Ireland whether they are Irish citizens or not. I would urge all whose employment rights are being breached by an employer or those who know of such exploitation, to contact the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) who will investigate these matters.

The Employment Permits Act 2006 sets out in legislation the rules governing employment permits. One of the main objectives of this Act was to increase the rights and protections afforded to migrant workers and the means to ensure redress in the event of exploitative practices. The Act's provisions give immigrants greater freedom, autonomy and control over their own employment choices by enabling workers for the first time to apply and re-apply for their own permit and allow workers to change their employer after a period of a year and move to another employment in order to take advantage of better conditions or career options. Last year, my Department issued almost 1,500 employment permits in respect of employees changing to new employers.

While understanding the concerns expressed, I am equally aware that a properly controlled employment permit system requires that permits be issued to a specific employee for a specific job with a specific employer. To do otherwise would not only risk abuse of the employment permit system but would make it much more difficult to ensure that employers observed the employment rights of employees.

The Employment Permits Act 2006 allows for regular review of Ireland's economic migration policies and my Department keeps these policies under review, in line with the emerging needs of the labour market, on an on-going basis.