Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 October 2023
57. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of the work to incorporate into legislation the recommendations on collective bargaining made by the high-level group on collective bargaining and industrial relations; if he will provide a timeline as to when the matter will be legislated for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44308/23]
View answerA LEEF Subgroup has been established, under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Employment, Retail and Retail, to discuss in detail the recommendations contained in the LEEF Final Report on Collective Bargaining. This Group met at the end of June, and another meeting is being scheduled for the coming weeks. ICTU and Ibec are represented on the Group.
In September, ahead of the last full LEEF Meeting, ICTU circulated a paper with their views on how the recommendations can be brought forward. The paper is a useful contribution to our ongoing consideration of the issues and will inform the discussions at the next working group meeting.
We agree with ICTU that both legislative and administrative measures need to be fully considered to give effect to the recommendations. In some cases, the legal proposals pose complicated legal and constitutional issues that will require considerable analysis. Department officials are engaged with the AGO’s office to discuss these and to try to find the best ways forward to address them.
As stated previously, these proposals for implementation will be considered by the Government by the end of the year.
