Written answers

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Zero-hour Contracts

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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899. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to bring forward legislation in 2016 on zero-hour contracts and underemployment; if such legislation is already in draft form; the timeframe for such legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13381/16]

Photo of Mary Mitchell O'ConnorMary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Since 2012, the Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) has put in place a comprehensive set of measures agreed by Government to promote job opportunities and employment growth in all parts of the country. 155,000 more people are at work since the launch of the first Plan in 2012. This increase has been in full-time jobs rather than casual or temporary jobs, with full time jobs accounting for most of the jobs growth. The CSO data for April 2016 indicates that in the year to April 2016 the number of casual and part-time workers decreased by 8.3%, while part time under-employment has also fallen year on year – from 114,800 in Q1 2015 to 99,100 in Q1 2016. While the latest CSO jobs figures and the trends in those figures are very encouraging, I am committed to considering an appropriate policy response to the report of the University of Limerick of their study of zero hour contracts and low hour contracts in the Irish economy.

The University of Limerick was appointed in February 2015, following a competitive tendering process, to carry out a study into the prevalence of zero hour contracts and low hour contracts in the Irish economy and their impact on employees. The study, published in November, 2015, found that zero hour contracts as defined within current Irish employment rights legislation are not extensively used in Ireland. It found low working hours can arise in different forms in employment contracts, such as regular part-time contracts with fixed hours or a contract with “If and when” hours only or a hybrid of the two. If and when contracts are contracts where workers are not contractually required to make themselves available for work.

The UL report made a range of recommendations relating to contracts, hours of work and notice, minimum hours, how contracted hours should be determined, collective agreements, data gathering and wider contextual issues.

It is important to point out that the UL study was an independent study and the conclusions drawn and the recommendations made in it are those of UL. Therefore, it was essential that the various stakeholders who contributed to the study and indeed other interested parties who may not have had an opportunity to engage with UL, were given an opportunity to consider and respond to the report.

To this end, my Department sought submissions from interested parties by way of a Public Consultation. A large number of submissions were received by 4 January 2016, the closing date for receipt of such submissions. The responses contain a variety of views both for and against the findings and recommendations as made by UL, which require, and are currently being given, careful consideration by my Department. This will inform the policy response to be considered by Government arising from the study.

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