Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 December 2016
39. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of the steps taken by her Department to address the problem of zero hour contracts; her policies in relation to pay and conditions in if-and-when and other uncertain and broken hour contracts in many areas of the economy including in the so-called sharing economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38951/16]
View answerMy colleague, Minister Mitchell O’Connor, and I intend bringing forward proposals in this area for consideration by Government. In this respect, work has progressed well on developing a policy response to the University of Limerick (UL) study on zero hour contracts and low hour contracts. It should be remembered that the UL study found that zero hour contracts, as defined within current Irish employment rights legislation, are not extensively used in Ireland.
The policy response is being informed by the UL study itself and also the extensive material and practical examples provided by respondents to the public consultation conducted by my Department. Our proposals will address the issue of workers on low hour contracts who consistently work more hours each week but whose contracts of employment do not reflect the reality of their hours worked. The proposals will also seek to ensure that employees are better informed about the nature of their employment arrangements and their core terms at an early stage in their employment. Furthermore, the proposals will include provisions aimed particularly at low-paid, more vulnerable workers. These protections will apply to all employees working under contracts of service whether working in the shared economy or otherwise.
My Department is currently engaged in a dialogue process with ICTU and IBEC to secure broad agreement before proposals are finalised. This work is being progressed as expeditiously as possible and is at an advanced stage.
Where an individual believes they are being deprived of employment rights applicable to employees they may refer a complaint to the WRC where the matter can be dealt with by way of mediation or adjudication leading to a decision that is enforceable through the District Court. WRC inspectors can also be asked to investigate certain breaches. Complaints can be made on a single complaint form available at the WRC’s website www.workplacerelations.ie.
The WRC’s Customer Service Section, which provides information to both employers and employees in relation to employment, equality and industrial relations rights and obligations, can be contacted at Lo-call: 1890 80 80 90 or 059-9178990.
