Business lobbyists 'acting in bad faith' over Sinn Fein jobs bill say trade unionists
An umbrella group of trade unionists has hit out at business lobby groups over the employment bill Sinn Fein is trying to introduce.
The Northern Ireland committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unionists (ICTU) said they had been acting “in bad faith” and were seeking to “misrepresent” the bill.
Its statement tonight did not name the groups in question.
It comes after the DUP leader Gavin Robinson denounced the bill – which has yet to be published – as “driving a wedge” between employers and employees, suggesting it could end up costing jobs.
Sinn Fein blames the DUP for blocking the bill’s introduction; the DUP counter that Sinn Fein have had years to work on the massive bill and are now demanding that the Executive wave it through with minimal scrutiny.
One of the objectives of the bill is understood to be increasing the spread of unions throughout workplaces, including to smaller businesses.
The ICTU statement tonight: “Throughout the consultation and debate on the Good Jobs Bill, some business lobby groups have acted in bad faith, seeking at every opportunity to obfuscate, misrepresent, and delay progress.
"This approach has not been in the interests of Northern Ireland, nor ultimately in the interests of their own members.
"They have been unwilling to support a path for business that reflects the growing international consensus that strong trade union rights for workers are a fundamental part of productive, innovative, and sustainable economies.
"Across advanced economies, it is increasingly recognised that when workers are enabled to exercise effective voice and participate meaningfully in the workplace, businesses and economies perform better."
It concluded: “If in order to secure the support of all Executive parties and ensure the passage of the legislation through the Assembly, the minister needs to make concessions regarding requirements on small employers to facilitate trade union access, then we will stay the course in the interests of workers and working families.”
Tonight, Caoimhe Archibald announced that she was tweaking the contents of the as-yet-unpublished bill.
"Where the proposal was originally to introduce a new right for trade unions to request access to all workplaces, an exemption will now be included for micro‑businesses with fewer than 10 employees,” said her department.
The minister said: “What I’m announcing today is a direct response to the conversations I am continuing to have with employer representatives, trade unions and others.”