New bill to end employers' ‘boycott' of pay deals tabled by Labour Party
The Labour Party said its new bill would strengthen Joint Labour Committees.
These committees, which include employer and union representatives, set legally binding employment conditions and rates of pay for workers in different sectors including childcare, contract cleaning and security.
Labour politicians said they wanted to address an 'ongoing employer boycott' in some industries. They claim this was leaving 'good employers' at a disadvantage and causing a 'race to the bottom'.
The party said the bill provided a mechanism to get around an employer 'boycott' and would ensure fair wages were paid in sectors, including home care, retail and hospitality.
TD George Lawlor, the party's enterprise, tourism and employment spokesperson, said the process for setting up a Joint Labour Committee required the co-operation of all parties, so the employer side could exercise a veto.
He said the Labour bill aimed to clear this 'impasse'. It would allow the Labour Court to appoint members to a committee if any party refused to participate, and draw up proposals.
Mr Lawlor said a collective bargaining approach was best.
'It is a much better process because you're not dealing with individual difficulties,' he said. 'It's much easier to be dealing with a union than individual 'asks' from various different people.
'If your staff are comfortable where they are, it stops them leaving. Staff retention is a big thing and cuts out the cost of training and recruitment. A lot of that is down to the fact that negotiations have taken place as opposed to people having ill will and gripes that flare up sporadically.'
He said if employers could not afford higher pay, it was very much in their interest to attend talks and put their 'cards on the table'.
Introducing the Industrial Relations (Boycott of Joint Labour Committees) bill yesterday, he said the Irish Hotels Federation had taken judicial review proceedings over moves to reconstitute a Joint Labour Committee.
Mr Lawlor said the fact that there was non-co-operation by an employer representative body in the committee system meant the case was struck out, so there was essentially an employers' veto.
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