Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2017
32. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding zero-hour contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38236/17]
View answer38. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation when the heads of the Bill regarding protections for workers on insecure low hour contracts will be published; when Second Stage of the Bill will be taken in Dáil Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38298/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 38 together.
Following the coming into effect of the Labour Affairs and Labour Law (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2017 from 1st September, responsibility for employment rights policy and legislation transferred to my colleague the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
On 2nd May, 2017 the Government approved draft legislative proposals in response to the commitment in the Programme for Government to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work and to strengthen the regulation of precarious employment.
The proposals aim to address a number of issues which have been identified as being areas where current employment rights legislation can be strengthened to the benefit of employees, particularly low-paid and more vulnerable employees, without imposing unnecessarily onerous burdens on employers and businesses.
The legislative proposals will address the following key issues:
- Ensuring that employees are better informed about the nature of their employment arrangements and in particular, their core terms at an early stage of their employment.
- Strengthening the provisions around minimum payments to low-paid, vulnerable workers who may be called in to work for a period but not provided with that work.
- Prohibiting zero-hour contracts, except in cases of genuine casual work or emergency cover or short-term relief work for the employer.
- Ensuring that workers on low hour contracts who consistently work more hours each week than is provided for in their contracts of employment, are entitled to be placed in a band of hours that reflects the reality of the hours they have worked over an extended period.
- Reinforcing the anti-victimisation provisions for employees who try to invoke a right under these proposals.
It will now fall to my colleague the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to progress this legislation. In this respect, I understand that officials in her Department are working closely with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the drafting of this legislation and it is intended to publish this Bill in the Autumn session, subject to Government approval.
