I thank my colleague Deputy George Lawlor for raising this very important workers' rights issue. I listened in disbelief to the Minister of State earlier and just now I listened to the Minister as well as they outlined the Government's opposition to this Bill. The Minister of State said "allowing employees to request remote work keeps a fair balance". The only fair balance here is for the employer.

Sentiment score: 0.37

Has the Government not been monitoring the WRC cases on their legislation? It is crazy that the Government would consider a right to request that is simply not working as fair. How out of touch can it be with the thousands of workers in this country who can work from home, but given what has happened in the WRC, are simply not in a position to put additional pressure on themselves and their families by taking a case? That is what is happening. I recently tabled a motion on commuter chaos. That, too, was opposed by Government. That motion included simple solutions to try to improve the work-life balance of thousands of commuters and their families, yet Government opposed it. Is Government totally opposed to the work-life balance of those who are commuting and can work from home in a hybrid or flexible way? The legislation that my colleague has brought forward does not give carte blanche to remote work. It will not force anybody into remote work. It will not erode workplace culture, as has been said by some speakers. It acknowledges that remote work is not for everybody and includes rights for employers to refuse remote work - a part of the Bill that has been acknowledged by some employer organisations. The Minister compared our right to request remote work with our colleagues across the EU. What he forgets, and maybe we should ask whether it was a deliberate attempt to forget, is that these countries have proper public transport. In many cases, they are subsidised by the state.

Sentiment score: -0.08

In many of these countries, these issues are dealt with through sectoral agreements and bargaining, which are, unfortunately, so absent in this country. The Minister goes on to say that over 8,000 people have taken part in the Government consultation. Does he think that this unprecedented response is a clap on the back for the Government policy? I assure him that this response, given the thousands that have contacted my party, is far from a clap on the back but rather a cry for help from a Government that simply is continuing to ignore workers in this country. The Minister mentioned CSO figures this morning. I ask to stand, maybe for a couple of hours on the M7-N7 and the M4-N4. Then he will get the figures that he needs to influence any debate on this legislation in this House. The Government should lead by example, yet a large percentage of the thousands of calls that we have received are from Government employees who for some reason, after years of remote work, are being called back to the office. Why is this the case? Is it to justify filling office space that a departmental concern was raised two months ago? State bodies are forcing workers back into the office. That is a fact. I have spoken recently with Grow Remote and as have colleagues in the House. I have listened to their experiences and the potential that this sector represents for this country. They have a very detailed training programme that could allay many of the fears that employers, and, indeed, the Members who have spoken on this Bill have raised. The Government should embrace that training and encourage it and work more closely with Grow Remote. Finally, I assure the thousands of workers who are leaving their rural communities, villages and towns to spend hours in traffic that the Labour Party is listening to them. It would seem today, from the entire Opposition, that it is also listening in to this debate and supporting those thousands of workers. It is a pity that Government has chosen to close its ears, once again, and is saying that there is nothing to see here. It is becoming the norm for Government. Maybe it is time for another pause and for Government to turn up its hearing aid.

Sentiment score: 0.03