Mattie McGrath Urges Sensible, Sensitive Remote Work Laws
Mattie McGrath spoke about remote and flexible working, urging that legislation be sensible and sensitive to both workers and employers. He argued remote work can support rural renewal but warned many businesses cannot operate from home and called for impact analysis before passing laws.
Main argument
The deputy highlighted the positives of working from home and said remote and flexible working can offer renewed vigour to Ireland's rural government plans - if plans are in place. He stressed legislation must be balanced, sensible and sensitive, protecting workers while also recognising employer constraints.
Concerns for small employers and operational limits
He warned that many small employers face operational, machinery or logistical barriers to employees working from home and that laws must consider their circumstances. He urged lawmakers to think of employers who are already struggling with costs of living, oil, insurance and electricity before enacting stronger measures.
Community examples and rural opportunities
He cited a community house in South Tipperary that hosted remote workers during COVID as an example of local solutions and said remote working could help struggling post offices and rural communities. He called for praise and support for local employers and for nurturing workers while ensuring fair pay for fair work.
Practical issues and commuting impacts
He raised practical concerns such as traffic congestion on the N24, travel costs for workers and a reference to the "cabin footprint", arguing decisions must assess impacts in the round. He concluded that legislation should not be rushed through without proper impact analysis and face-to-face discussions with stakeholders, and closed with the phrase "Go ra ma ha goot."
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I too want to come to me into proposals of this motion, but we have to be sensible and sensitive in how we deal with this area. An opportunity has to highlight the positive from working at home has really presented it. Remote and flexible working can offer a renewed vigour to Ireland's rural government plans, if you have the plans, because the post offices are floundering for decades, you have promised and everything and give them nothing. Look Minister, there are issues here for small employers, we must think of those at any time. It's fine to pass legislation and I hear people here demanding it's stronger and stronger and complaining about lobbying, but we must think of the small employers as well. And I salute the workers, I mean I stepped in pride myself and employ quite a number of people, excellent staff relations, but in my business you couldn't work from home, in many businesses it just couldn't be done because it's physically not possible, it's an operational with machinery and everything else, so we have to be reasonable here. It's grand in theory, but we have to understand that it doesn't work. We have a community house in Cochrane, anywhere, South Tipperary County House at the time, I was chair of the board and we set up a community house, we have excellent facilities there and we have given that to different people to do remote working during COVID. COVID has changed everything as we know, but look, we have to be sensible, we just can't keep ushering legislation through here with no impact analysis of the impact it might have on the employers. I'm sure you're listening to them and have listened to them, especially now when they're on their knees and trying to deal with the costs of living, the cost of oil, the cost of insurance, the cost of electricity, the cost of everything, so legislation is fine and dandy, but we have a balance here. Mull and Oiga, Mull and the employers, as I say, and chucking sheet, you must praise them, support them, because most times we don't and we must also nurture the workers and look after them. Fair days pay for fair days work, very important, but this, as I said, we have to be sensible about it, we have to be understanding and we have to, as I said, deal with people face to face and sit down around the table and discuss where it's possible. As I mean, traffic jams and the N24 and many other roads, we've been mentioned about the cabin footprint, people tugged up, I travelled and in 11 this morning, it's just crazy with traffic and the cabin footprint and the costs for people going to work, so we must look at all those things in the round, but as I said, it's sensitive legislation, it must be dealt with sensitively and it must be, as I said, cover everybody. Go ra ma ha goot.
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