Sir, – The High Court has ruled that the industrial relations legislation providing for sectoral employment orders (SEOs) is invalid ("High Court strikes down minimum pay law for electricians", News, June 23rd).
Seán Lemass introduced the predecessor of SEOs in 1946 in an example of the State supporting the role of employer organisations and trade unions in collective bargaining. Sectoral-wide pay and conditions in construction-related sectors delivered economic and social benefits to workers, employers and society and prevented “social dumping” and unfair competition between companies.
The High Court decision has a number of consequences. Workers currently employed in organisations covered by SEOs will still have a contractual right to the pay and conditions they have received but newly employed workers will not have any entitlement to SEO terms, leading to obvious problems. There will be a greater risk of a downward spiral of pay and conditions and social dumping.
The High Court decision will require the next government, if it so chooses, to amend industrial relations legislation to make it more detailed, definitive and restrictive. The decision is another marker that Ireland diverges from many EU countries in industrial relations. – Yours, etc,
Dr MICHELLE
O’SULLIVAN,
Department of Work
and Employment Studies,
University of Limerick.