LABOUR BACKBENCH criticism of Minister for Enterprise Richard Bruton continued yesterday with Galway East TD Colm Keaveney expressing further concerns about plans to reform the joint labour committees.
The Minister is proposing to change the law whereby the JLCs set wages in the hotel, catering and retail sectors including controversial premium payments for Sunday working.
“There is no doubt that the existing system is outdated. It needed reform,” the newly elected Labour deputy told the Lunchtime programme on Newstalk radio.
However, he objected to the Minister’s proposals, which are additional to recommendations in the recent Duffy-Walsh report on the issue.
“The notion that we would reduce rates of pay for the most vulnerable people on the verges of the economy would be a concern, morally, for me.
“But not only that, I think there is a very strong economic argument that has been vindicated in the Duffy-Walsh report, that there are no extra jobs by cutting pay in these sectors,” Mr Keaveney said.
Sinn Féin enterprise spokesman Peadar Tóibín has called on Tánaiste and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, “to give a cast iron commitment that the pay of the lowest earners will not be cut as a result of the review” of the JLC system.
A spokesman for the Minister said reform of the legal and medical professions, along with the JLCs, has also been part of the Government’s programme since its inception.
“The programme for government includes measures to reform the legal and medical professions,” the spokesman pointed out.
He was rejecting suggestions that plans for reform in these areas were only being brought forward in response to last week’s sustained criticism of the Minister’s JLC proposals.
“The Minister has been vocal for some time in opposition on the need to reform the sheltered sectors, including the legal profession.
“Over a month ago, he signalled his intention to achieve progress on this through a merger of the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority and he is determined to implement reforms at all levels of the economy to improve competitiveness and create and maintain jobs,” the spokesman said.
Early last week, the Department of Health announced it was preparing a memo for Government seeking permission to draft legislation to lift restrictions on GPs wishing to treat public patients, as required by the EU-IMF bailout programme.
