Paul Murphy Accuses Minister of Reneging on Workers' Promises

The last couple of weeks have seen you abandon a whole series of promises to workers, abandoning the promise to extend sick leave, abandoning the promise to introduce living wage, and incredibly refusing to scrap sub-minimum wages. People watching this performance might ask if you are following the lead of the most anti-trade union boss in Ireland, Michael O'Leary, who launched your election campaign last November. My question is whether you have had any more meetings with him since you took office, and how has your relationship with him influenced your decisions as Minister? I have had no meetings, interactions or correspondence with the business owner in question since my appointment as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment back last year, in connection with any of my work, or neither has my department. Michael O'Leary, I will quote Michael O'Leary at your launch. We need a government that delivers for enterprise. It is vital we elect a government that gets shit done. I can think of nobody here, certainly in the current government, who demonstrates more action, more energy than Peter Burke. More action, more energy for enterprise. Is that why you are doing what you are doing? Are you following the lead of Michael O'Leary, anti-trade union, anti-worker boss, in reneging on previous commitments to extend sick leave, to introduce a living wage, the vote of this, or the last doll, to abolish the sub-minimum wage rates, a legalised discrimination, legalised super-exploitation of young workers, where they are allowed to be paid even less than the minimum wage. You talk about employment rights, you say you are in favour of them and so on. Your action demonstrates the opposite, but also the fact that you had the most famously anti-worker, anti-union boss of the country launch your election campaign also suggests the opposite. Michael O' Thank you. Well, first of all, I say my actions do demonstrate that we have supported employment and workers right throughout our economy. I make the point, first of all, that we are committed to achieving a living wage, and that we are about 3.5% away from it in one metric, which is the survey data for labour force, and secondly, we are on it in relation to the CSO data and structure of earnings data. Secondly, I pointed out quite clearly the number of improvements we have made. We are committed to auto-enrolment, which will come in on 1 January, protect the future, of workers. Secondly, we have banned zero-hour contracts. Thirdly, we have worked to bring in tips and gratuities legislation to protect the most vulnerable workers. We have introduced a sick pay scheme, which is ever-present. We were very clear in our manifesto before we went into government that at this point in time we did not feel we could extend it any further. We have commissioned a review of employment legislation, and also we have committed to an action plan for collective bargaining, which you will see public consultation is now underway in connection with it. So from all those areas, and from additional rights through requesting remote working supporting workers and significant increases in the minimum wage over the last number of years, no government has done more for workers' rights than the current administration and the previous one. That is a fact. Saying that is a fact does not make it a fact. You have been in power three months, four months. You have not progressed workers' rights at all. You have taken a whole series of negative steps. You are reneging on the commitment to extend sick leave. You are reneging on the commitment to reach a living wage. You are reneging, and I want to focus in on this one, on the vote of the last Dáil to abolish sub-minimum wages. The Dáil voted now two years ago to abolish sub-minimum wages. That was then a year-timed delay because the Low Pay Commission was going to look at it. The Low Pay Commission looked at it and the Low Pay Commission unanimously recommended the abolition of sub-minimum wages. Then you wanted to kick the can down the road again. You said that we are going to have an economic impact assessment, but I got a PQ back from you two days ago asking how this is getting along. You said that it is due to be finalised in June or July, but you have already made the decision. In advance of the impact assessment, you are also going to suspend the decision on that. I presume that is for three years, a legalised situation where young people are paid less than the minimum wage. Absolutely scandalous. You have the cheek to say that it is a fact that you are working for workers' rights. The Deputy Minister. Thank you. It is a fact that this current Government has committed to an action plan and collective bargaining in its first three months. It is a fact that we are commencing with auto-enrolment on the 1st of January. It is a fact that we have commenced and started an employment review of all employment legislation. It is a fact that the Government has worked to protect the most vulnerable workers. It is a fact that we are significantly increasing the minimum wage over the last number of years to the establishment of the Low Pay Commission. It absolutely is. I quoted the figures there of 29 per cent of an increase since 2022. That is a fact. In relation to the sub-minimum wage rates, for people who are 15 up to 19, for those who are entitled to work in that area and are legally able to do so, only a quarter of those are earning the sub-minimum rates. It is a very small number of people. Critically, we have to look at barriers to entry of education, which is very important. The evidence that I have behind that has not been available to take that decision. The Low Pay Commission was very clear that this is a very complex issue. They said that in their report. I am going to examine it further. In connection with the work, we have made a decision as a Cabinet to make a decision in 2029. That is final on the issue. Thank you. Question number 10 now.