I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "recognises that: — Ireland has experienced significant global inflationary pressures arising from international shocks, including energy price volatility, supply chain disruption and geopolitical instability, which have increased pressures on households and businesses; and — protecting jobs, sustaining economic competitiveness, and supporting living standards must be progressed in a balanced and sustainable manner; notes that: — Ireland continues to maintain near full employment, with historically high labour force participation and rising average earnings across the economy; — the Government has introduced a comprehensive and record series of cost of living supports in recent years, targeted at workers on low and middle incomes, including reductions in Income Tax, increases in tax credits, and enhanced social protections; — while some countries awaited the outcome of proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment remained committed to progressing and delivering the Action Plan to Promote Collective Bargaining 2026-2030 (the Plan), irrespective of the Court's decision, and fulfilled that commitment; — implementation of the Plan in Ireland is well underway, with 22 actions to be delivered over the duration 2026–2030, a technical sub-group of Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, consisting of Department officials and social partners are overseeing the implementation process, with a robust monitoring framework in place, including a mid-term review scheduled for 2028, this phased and responsive approach will ensure the continued relevance of the Plan in the context of evolving labour market conditions and the collective bargaining landscape; — Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights protections which have been significantly enhanced in recent years, including through the introduction of statutory sick pay, the right to request remote and flexible work, a new public holiday, protections for tips and gratuities, enhanced parental and carers' leave, and regular increases to the national minimum wage; and — the statutory minimum wage has increased consistently under successive Governments and is set according to the transparent and evidence-based recommendations of the Low Pay Commission; acknowledges that: — social dialogue remains the cornerstone of Ireland's industrial relations framework; — trade unions, employers and the State all have an important role to play in maintaining constructive industrial relations, promoting productivity, and supporting sustainable wage growth; — ongoing consultation at European Union (EU) level, including discussions on a Quality Jobs Roadmap, provides an opportunity to share best practice and learn from other member states; — a strong economy is essential to funding public services, sustaining employment, and enabling continued improvements in workers' rights and living standards; and — changes to employment law must be carefully calibrated to protect workers while avoiding unintended consequences for small and medium sized enterprises, competitiveness, and job creation; and reaffirms our commitment to: — advancing measures to strengthen collective bargaining participation in line with EU obligations, while respecting Ireland's voluntary industrial relations tradition; — supporting flexible and remote working through existing legislative frameworks and guidance, balancing employee needs with operational requirements of employers; — engaging with trade unions, employers and stakeholders including through LEEF, the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court to promote high quality, secure and productive employment; and — keep the adequacy of the minimum wage under ongoing review through the Low Pay Commission, with the objective of improving living standards while safeguarding jobs.". Recent action by this Government has resulted in improved conditions for workers, and we have driven many positive and progressive changes over the past few years. I wish to take the opportunity to speak about some of these this evening. First, I must point out that there is no constitutional or legal impediment which prevents parties who wish to exercise their right to collectively bargain from freely doing so in Ireland. There is an extensive range of statutory provisions designed to back up the voluntary bargaining process. Ireland’s action plan to promote collective bargaining, launched in November 2025, demonstrates the Government’s clear commitment to strengthening the industrial relations framework and improving the quality of working life. Implementation of the action plan is well under way and is overseen by a technical subgroup of LEEF, consisting of officials from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and the social partners. The subgroup meets on a regular basis to provide structured oversight, monitor progress and ensure the phased implementation of actions in a manner that remains responsive to emerging issues and stakeholder feedback. This governance arrangement supports effective delivery of the action plan while maintaining flexibility to adapt to evolving labour market and policy priorities. At the heart of the plan are 22 targeted actions across five strategic pillars. These focus on strengthening the evidence-base for collective bargaining, building capacity and awareness, promoting good collective bargaining practices, protecting existing rights and reinforcing the key institutions which support our industrial relations system. A mid-term review in 2028 will allow us to assess progress and ensure the action plan remains responsive to a changing and dynamic labour market. Officials in my Department have initiated discussions with the Office of Government Procurement to determine practical steps for implementing a pilot project, which would examine the incorporation of collectively bargained agreements as a weighting factor in public procurement processes. Progress is also under way to identify and reward best-practices by employers in the space of collective bargaining. There has been a significant and lasting shift in attitudes towards remote working in recent years. Central Statistics Office data shows that almost 1 million people were working from home, either usually or sometimes, in the fourth quarter of 2025. That figure has remained broadly stable since the pandemic. Recognising the changing dynamics of the workplace, the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 provided all workers the right to request remote working in March 2024. Ireland was among the first in the EU to introduce a right to request remote working. The legislation is accompanied by a code of practice which provides guidance for employers and employees on how to comply with this legislation. My Department just recently concluded a statutory review of the operation of the right to request remote working legislation and a report of the review was laid before the Houses on 5 March this year. The findings of the review were informed by a nationally representative survey; a public consultation which received more than 8,000 responses; and engagement with the Workplace Relations Commission, employer and employee representatives and the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. The review found that when used, the legislation works effectively. Some 94% of requests are approved either fully or partially, demonstrating that the legislation can facilitate compromise. The reported level of administrative burden is also low. However, a key finding is that the challenge is awareness, with fewer than half of employees being aware of their right to request remote working. To address this finding and others identified by the review, the Department will implement recommendations from it, including a national information campaign to drive awareness and encourage increased use of the legislation. We will also request the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, to revise the code of practice to support use of the legislation. These actions complement the range of measures the Government is undertaking to facilitate and encourage uptake of remote and flexible working, including the code of practice and the right to disconnect, the tax deduction for home working, which was placed on a statutory basis in January 2022, the national hub network, which has been underpinned by significant Government investment, and the completion of the installation of high-speed fibre broadband. These measures are accompanied by supports for flexible working, including the revised code of practice on access to part-time working, which was signed into law in January this year. The revised code was prepared by the WRC in consultation with the social partners. The updated code provides practical guidance to help employers and employees agree part-time arrangements which support flexible and modern workplaces. Irish employment rights legislation has also been progressive in terms of prohibiting zero-hour contracts in most cases and the provision of banded hours to enable workers to obtain more secure and predictable working hours. These provisions were introduced in 2018 through the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, amending the Organisation of Working Time Act. Under the Act, zero-hour contracts are largely prohibited, except for genuine casual or emergency work. Where zero-hour contracts are permitted, employees are entitled to compensation if required to be available but not given work. The Act also provides for a right for an employee whose contract of employment does not reflect the reality of the hours they normally work. An employee who believes their contract does not reflect the hours they have consistently worked over the previous 12 months of service may request to be placed on a band of hours that better reflects the hours they have worked regularly. These provisions significantly improve the predictability and security of working hours for employees. The introduction of statutory sick leave in January 2023, marked a key policy development for Ireland. For the first time, employees received a statutory right to employer-paid sick leave. It gives workers an income protection for up to five days in the calendar year should they be unfit for work, paid at 70% of gross earnings, up to a daily cap of €110. That provides a crucial safety net to workers who become ill. It again underscores the Government’s commitment to progressive employment law and the protection, welfare, and well-being of Ireland's workforce. Originally three days, the entitlement was increased to five days in 2024. Since the introduction of the Sick Leave Act in 2023 and the subsequent increase in entitlement to sick leave to five days in 2024, business owners and representative organisations, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors, have consistently raised concerns about the cumulative impact of such regulatory measures in the light of rising labour, input and energy costs. Research conducted by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, along with officials in this Department show that firms in the retail, accommodation and food services sectors would likely to have been more affected if the statutory sick leave entitlement increased from five days to seven days. The research was published on the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment website on Monday, 14 April. On the basis of this research, I made the decision that five days sick leave strikes the right balance. It gives workers income protection for five days, after which illness benefit is there to support them. Turning to the introduction of the living wage, I wish to make clear at the outset that the Government remains fully committed to ensuring fair wages for low-paid workers in our economy, and I also highlight the real progress we have made in raising the national minimum wage in recent years, by way of substantial increases. Since 2020, the national minimum wage has increased by 40%, from €10.10 to today’s rate of €14.15 an hour. This includes a 12% increase in 2024, a further increase of more than 6% in 2025, and an additional rise of almost 5% at the start of this year. These increases were well ahead of inflation and have delivered substantial, real-wage growth for the lowest-paid workers in our economy. The Government is committed to the progression to a living wage, set at 60% of the median hourly wages during its lifetime, and to promoting positive working conditions across the economy. However, it is also important to maintain a regulatory environment that allows businesses to remain viable, and to continue to provide quality jobs. It was in that context that last year, as part of measures designed to bolster resilience and support competitiveness, the Government agreed to adjust the timeline for the progression until 2029. This decision should be considered in the context of the recent significant increases in the minimum wage, as I have already outlined, and the progress achieved in reaching a living wage. The Low Pay Commission, using CSO earnings data, has estimated that the 2025 national minimum wage represented just under 60% of median hourly earnings, and approximately 56% using labour force survey data, underlining the significant progress already achieved. The Government, therefore, believes that any further increases in the national minimum wage must continue to be managed in a sustainable way, and one that does not threaten employment or competitiveness. This is particularly important for sectors such as hospitality, food services and retail, where employers continue to face significant cost pressures in respect of labour, regulatory costs and energy costs. The Government’s objective is to support low-paid workers while protecting the viability of the businesses that employ them. The Government carefully considers the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission when determining the appropriate national minimum wage. The commission, when making its recommendation for the minimum wage, has a statutory obligation to have regard-----

Sentiment score: 0.29

I can put the rest on the record of the House.

Sentiment score: 0.00