Paul Murphy: Condemns Injunction Blocking Security Workers' Pay Rise
Paul Murphy spoke about the injunction that halted a planned pay increase for security officers, urging the government to challenge the court order. He criticised three companies for seeking an ex parte injunction that stopped an Employment Regulation Order (ERO) from taking effect.
Workers and pay rise
There are 16,000 security officers in this country. They were recognised during Covid as being essential workers, but remain very low-paid and in stressful work, in many cases working up to 60 hours a week. They were due to get a small pay increase to €12.50 an hour under an Employment Regulation Order.
Companies' legal action
Three security companies - Top Security, Lass and Morbury - took a case and were granted an ex parte injunction to stop the ERO coming into effect. Paul Murphy said the companies are content for their workers to remain in poverty conditions while continuing to make profits.
Government response
Murphy noted the government has so far only issued a press statement acknowledging the injunction and has not moved to challenge it in court. He criticised the apparent approach of waiting for the normal court process rather than intervening to secure the increase for workers.
Legal remedy urged
Paul Murphy urged the government to participate in the proceedings as a party and take legal advice to challenge the injunction so workers receive the pay increase. He argued the government could act now instead of waiting for a substantial case to progress.
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There are 16,000 security officers in this country. They were recognised during Covid as being essential workers, but they remain very low-paid workers involved in stressful work, in many cases working up to 60 hours a week. They were due to get a very small pay increase to €12.50 an hour under an employment regulation order. However, three security companies, Top Security, Lass and Morbury, took a case to seek and were granted, scandalously, an ex parte injunction to stop the ERO coming into effect. Top Security is a company that receives public contracts. These three companies are happy for their workers to remain in poverty conditions while they continue to make profits. But so far the government has not responded to this. We have a press statement acknowledging it and saying we won't be implemented. Why doesn't the government go to court, challenge the injunction so that workers get what they're owed? I mean, again, in terms of the issue, the key point being, sorry? The ERO, which... Yeah, stopped by an injunction, but the government so far hasn't challenged the injunction. I mean, obviously that will walk its way through the courts. We're not having an interaction and we're just going to have the response. I just wanted to try and get the point that the Deputy was asking, to be fair, and I appreciate the clarity. Instead of waiting for a substantial case, which appears to be the current government approach, the government can go and challenge the... It was an ex-partei injunction, so they can turn up and say, well, we're a party. We'll take legal advice in relation to all that, and government ordinarily does. Mayor Michael.
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