Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
247. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will intervene in the ongoing dispute between workers (details supplied); and if he will end the practice of State contracts being given to companies which refuse to recognise trade union membership. [33458/23]
View answerAt the outset, I must emphasise I, as Minister, cannot intervene in industrial relations disputes.
Ireland’s system of Industrial Relations is based on voluntarism and while the right of workers to form associations and join a trade union is enshrined in Article 40 of the Irish Constitution, there is no obligation on employers to recognise any trade union for the purposes of collective bargaining.
I would urge the parties in dispute to come together in an effort to resolve their issues. The State provides the industrial relations dispute settlement mechanisms i.e. the WRC and the Labour Court to support parties in their efforts to resolve their differences. The WRC and the Labour Court are independent statutory bodies.
