Crowe Welcomes Legislation to Address Precarious Work & Zero Hour Contracts

 Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe  has welcomed legislation that will finally address precarious work and Zero Hour Contracts and has called on the Employment Minister Regina Doherty to fast-track the Bill that has been passed to ensure greater security for workers in precarious employment before her proposal of March next year.

Speaking following the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill concluding its final stage in the Dáil Teachta Crowe said:

“The passing of this legislation marks a momentous day for workers and in particular, the many thousands of our citizens who are engaged in low paid precarious employment.

“The passing of this legislation today ends a long running difficult campaign by workers and trade unions for greater employment security.

I am thinking especially of Dunnes Stores workers who took a stand against zero hour contracts with their trade union Mandate back in 2015.

This Bill is a credit to all those workers, to their resilience and their belief that this unfair employment practice would be scrapped and confined to the history bin.

“Zero hour contracts and precarious work practice are poverty traps with the express design to keep workers on call 7 days a week 24 hours a day and made it impossible for workers to plan their lives.

“While wholeheartedly welcoming the passing of this Bill, I am calling on the Employment Minister Regina Doherty to give these workers a break and commence this Bill before her proposed date in March next year.

“Workers and their families have been left in vulnerable positions in their employment for long enough.

They should not be asked to wait even longer in this stressful and unacceptable situation.

“I am calling on Minister Doherty to expedite this Bill and make it law in conjunction with the planned campaign by the Workplace Relations Commission in January. Workers and their families need these protections and they need them now not in March next year.”

ENDS