Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 July 2023
103. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will encourage the management of a company (details supplied) to engage with pickers and drivers and their trade union regarding the imposition of a new work schedule without dialogue or agreement. [34538/23]
View answerI would urge the parties involved to engage constructively with each other with a view to resolving their differences. The State's industrial relations machinery remains available to assist as appropriate.
Ireland’s system of industrial relations is essentially voluntary in nature and it has been the consistent policy of successive Irish Governments to support the development of an institutional framework supportive of this voluntary system through which good industrial relations can prosper.
While Article 40 of the Irish Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to form associations and unions, it has been established in a number of legal cases that the constitutional guarantee of the freedom of association does not guarantee workers the right to have their union recognised for the purpose of collective bargaining.
There is an extensive range of statutory provisions designed to back up the voluntary bargaining process. The freedom of association and the right to organise and bargain collectively are also guaranteed in a number of international instruments which the State has ratified and which it is, therefore, bound to uphold under international law.
