'A fig leaf for employer dominance' - Mayo politician slams 'shameful' decision

A Mayo politician has slammed the Mayo constituency TDs for voting against trade union recognition for workers.

"It is a shameful state of affairs when Mayo TDs Alan Dillon (Fine Gael), Dara Calleary (Fianna Fáil) and Keira Keogh (Fine Gael) can vote against the basic democratic rights of workers,” says Joe Daly, Spokesperson for People Before Profit (PBP) in Mayo.

The Trade Union Recognition Bill would ensure that, where at least 20% of employees in a workplace or category are members of a union, they could apply to the Labour Court to compel their employer to negotiate.

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This would allow workers to improve conditions, health and pay, say People Before Profit.

The party's Mayo spokesperson Joe Daly has criticised the government for voting down his party's proposal: "After a four year delay the bill on Trade Union Recognition Rights for workers was finally debated in the Dáil last week. TDs voted on whether workers should have the right to be represented by their trade union — or should employers be allowed to ignore them?

Daly stated “Our Trade Union Recognition Bill, aimed to force companies like Ryanair & Amazon, notorious for union-busting, to recognise and negotiate with workers who organise themselves in a trade union. It is a shameful state of affairs when Mayo TDs Alan Dillon, Dara Calleary and Keira Keogh can vote against the basic democratic rights of workers”

Currently in Ireland, a worker can join a union — but the employer has no obligation to even acknowledge it. This leaves workers vulnerable in the face of bullying, low pay, and unsafe conditions.

Mr Daly continued “Companies like Ryanair spent decades refusing to deal with unions, even when workers organised in large numbers. And they’re not alone. In retail, tech, hospitality and finance, bosses routinely ignore workers’ demands for union recognition. This Bill would change that. It would give workers a real right to organise and be heard.”

“Our Bill would allow workers to trigger a process via the Labour Court to secure mandatory union recognition where 20% or more of the workforce (or a category within it) are members of a union. It would require companies to negotiate on pay, hours and conditions, and ensure union reps can access workplaces.”

Mr Daly criticised the government response of Minister of State Alan Dillon saying “Minister Dillon's speech is a masterclass in bureaucratic evasion, a symphony of platitudes designed to mask the government's unwavering commitment to a status quo that leaves workers vulnerable and their voices silenced!”

“Mr Dillon’s main argument cloaked in constitutional concerns and a supposed commitment to a "voluntarist" system, is nothing more than a fig leaf for employer dominance, an excuse to deny workers their fundamental right to collective bargaining.”

“The Minister presents Article 40 of the Constitution as an insurmountable barrier which is a convenient misinterpretation. While the Constitution guarantees the right to form associations, it does not explicitly prohibit legislation that compels employers to engage with those associations when a significant portion of their workforce demands it. The Supreme Court's past rulings, while acknowledging the absence of a duty to recognise, do not preclude the Oireachtas from enacting legislation that creates such a duty, particularly when it serves to promote fair labour practices and social justice.”

Mr Daly continued “This vote comes amid soaring living costs, record corporate profits, and a surge in precarious work. Yet Ireland remains one of the few European countries where there is no legal right to union recognition.

“Workers are facing a cost-of-living crisis, economic uncertainty and attempts to pass the cost of Trump’s tariffs onto their shoulders. To resist this, workers need strong, fighting unions. Workers in Mayo should not forget that TDs Dillon, Calleary & Keogh all voted against their basic democratic right to union recognition”.

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