Equal Rights for Equal Work

This Tuesday Ógra Shinn Féin joined its comrades in Sinn Féin incalling for agency workers to be legislatively protected in the sameways as ordinary workers. A motion tabled jointly by Sinn Féin andLabour which called on the government to enact legislation to protectthe rights of agency workers and to support the introduction of thelong promised EU Directive on Temporary Agency Workers was to be votedon Wednesday night. A large joint demonstration was held outsideLeinster House by Sinn Féin, Labour and SIPTU urging TD's to voteagainst the spread of exploitation despite the threat of thegovernment whip. The motion fell by a very small number of votes lastnight in the 26 county Dáil.


This is a hugely important issue. Increasing numbers of jobs arebeing filled by agency workers who are working for lower pay andconditions, in the process displacing directly employed workers. Theabsence of legislation providing for the principle of equal treatmentof agency workers means that they are being used by employers to drivedown wages and to side step duties they would have to directlyemployed workers.

Ógra spokesperson Oisín Ó Dubhláin had this to say,

"The current situation with agency workers in this state epitomisesthe race to the bottom which is being attempted by many employers inthe wake of the Irish Ferries fiasco. Trade unions, political andcommunity activists cannot allow workers to be exploited in agencyjobs nor can they allow it to in turn depress wages among ordinaryworkers who fear for their livelihood. If the government lets thishappen then they are seriously jeopardising workers rights and itshould be taken as an attack on the entire labour movement and theworking people of this state."