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2005

Complacency on labour inspectorate deplorable

Date Released: 17 Nov 2005

"Amid all the self-congratulation with which the Government's Expenditure Estimates have been released today, the Minister for Finance did not see fit to announce any new allocation for the Labour Inspectorate. - and the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment declared himself content with that fact," said SIPTU's General President, Jack O'Connor in commenting on today's announcement.

"The Government Estimates for 2006 only provide for the employment of 31 Labour Inspectors, no more than what had already been provided for - despite the fact that the trade union movement has been calling throughout the course of this year for the immediate employment of at least 75 inspectors. Sadly, such Government passivity continues to give the green light to a race to the bottom in labour standards.

"Despite the fact that "Sustaining Progress" had provided for wage increases to total at least 4 percent in the year to June of this year, average industrial earnings have only increased by 2.4 percent and those in the retail trade by 2.7 percent.

"There is a clear development of displacement of existing workers by those on cheaper rates, and an increased evasion - not only of agreed pay increases but of the minimum wage itself. Yet the number of labour inspections have plummeted from more than 8,000 in 2002 to less than 2,000 in the first half of this year. More dramatically, there was a corresponding fall in the number of prosecutions - from 14 to just 3.

"Today's Estimates announcement that the number of Labour Inspectors will continue to be frozen at the existing provision of 31 has done nothing to convince Irish trade unionists that the Government is in any way taking seriously the concerns raised last month by both the SIPTU and the ICTU special delegate conferences," concluded Mr. O'Connor.





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