Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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719. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware that large employers in receipt of Government contracts (details supplied) are refusing to recognise trade unions or engage in collective bargaining; the actions he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19811/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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It has been the consistent policy of successive Irish Governments to promote collective bargaining through the development of an institutional framework supportive of a voluntary system of industrial relations that is premised upon freedom of contract and freedom of association. There is an extensive range of statutory provisions designed to back up the voluntary bargaining process.

The Government fully supports the right of any worker to join and be active in their trade union. Employees have the right under the Constitution to form associations and trade unions. Under Irish legislation, an employee cannot be discriminated against or dismissed because they are a member of a trade union.

Under Irish law, there is no requirement for an employer to recognise trade unions for the purpose of collective bargaining. It has been established in a number of legal cases that the constitutional guarantee of the freedom of association does not guarantee workers the right to have their union recognised for the purpose of collective bargaining.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is responsible for achieving compliance with employment rights legislation in Ireland and achieves this mandate through a number of functions including adjudication, inspection, mediation and providing information to employers and employees on obligations and rights under employment rights legislation.