Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
275. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will address a series of matters concerning an amendment to the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30587/23]
View answerThe Government is committed to supporting workers and has a strong record on strengthening and introducing new workers’ rights.
As the Deputy is aware, the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, came into force on 4 March 2019. This Act introduced a number of measures to strengthen employee rights and to address the problems caused by the increased casualisation of work.
Ireland also has in place a Code of Practice on Access to Part-Time Work. The Code was drawn up by the then Labour Relations Commission in consultation with the social partners pursuant to the Protection of Employment (Part-Time Work) Act 2001.
Among other provisions, the Code of Practice sets out that, as far as possible, employers should give consideration to a request by workers to transfer from part-time to full-time work or to increase their working time should the opportunity arise. The Code was put on a statutory footing in S.I. No. 8 of 2006.
During the passage of the 2018 Act, on foot of Dáil and Seanad debates, the then Minister engaged with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on a review of the 2001 Act and 2006 Code of practice. It was decided in 2019, as the 2018 Act had only just commenced, that some time post enactment would be required to gauge the impact of that significant piece of legislation.
In February 2023, Minister Richmond wrote to the WRC requesting a review of both the Code of Practice on Part-Time Work and the Employment Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2018 to assess the overall effectiveness of the suite of protections for Part Time Workers.
The WRC confirmed that a review of the Code of Practice on Access to Part-Time Work is on the WRC’s workplan for 2023 and will be carried out expeditiously. The Commission will also examine the feasibility of including a further review on the obstacles to part-time work as part of their 2024 workplan.
