Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

27. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to solve the problems and issues surrounding seasonal and part time workers' rights in seasonal employment, in particular the fishing, farming and the hospitality sectors; the timeframe to deal with these issues in view of the fact that these anomalies are causing financial strain on many persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2017/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ireland has a comprehensive suite of employment rights legislation including measures to prevent exploitation in the workplace. We have a well-resourced labour inspectorate within the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which is mandated to secure compliance with employment legislation. In addition, where employees believe that they have been deprived of an employment right, they may refer a complaint to the WRC where the matter can be dealt with by way of mediation or adjudication leading to a decision enforceable through the District Court. On 7th December 2017, I published the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017. The Bill delivers on the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to tackle the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work and to strengthen the regulation of precarious work. This is a very important piece of legislation which will improve the security and predictability of working hours for employees on insecure contracts and those working variable hours in all sectors of employment.

It provides for five key issues which will benefit part-time workers as well as seasonal employees:

-Ensuring that employees are better informed about the nature of their employment arrangements and, in particular, their core terms at an early stage of their employment.

-Strengthening the provisions around minimum payments to low-paid, vulnerable employees who may be called in to work for a period but not provided with that work.

-Prohibiting zero hours contracts in most circumstances.

-Ensuring that workers on low hour contracts, who consistently work more hours each week than provided for in their contracts of employment, are entitled to be placed in a band of hours that better reflects the reality of the hours they have worked over an extended period.

-Strengthening the anti-penalisation provisions for employees who try to invoke a right under this Bill.

I am looking forward to working with colleagues on all sides of both Houses of the Oireachtas to progress this Bill as expeditiously as possible over the coming months.