Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 October 2014
22. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on the downward pressure on wages and working conditions at Greyhound Recycling and other private waste collection operators. [34328/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that there are approximately 100 registered domestic waste collection companies operating in Ireland and they employ 8,000 workers directly. The indirect labour figure (agency/contract) is less clear. Given the number of companies competing for business, the cost of service delivery is a deciding factor in winning customers and forms part of the differentiation in terms of competing on cost to the customer.
As in the case of many other service provision sectors characterised by internal competition, wage costs are an important component of overall costs. Consequently service providers who can reduce their wage costs obtain an initial competitive advantage over others.
It appears that, for the majority of operators in the waste collection sector, many pay rates at or slightly above the national minimum wage.
In this context, and in light of recent industrial unrest in the sector, my colleague, the Minister for Business and Employment is considering the feasibility of possible voluntary wage setting frameworks that could be utilised, through which terms and conditions of employment in the domestic waste sector might be agreed or arrived at.
