Bruton eases SME fears of mandatory trade union recognition

Jobs and Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton has assuaged SME fears over a perceived threat of mandatory trade union recognition and collective bargaining rules for their sector.

Addressing yesterday’s Small Firms Association annual conference, Mr Bruton said that while an agreed system for working conditions reconciliation is needed among the small business community, mandatory trade union involvement is not being planned and collective bargaining would always be voluntary.

He added that his department was open to submissions from interested parties, including the SFA.

Earlier, SFA chairman AJ Noonan told delegates that collective bargaining would cost jobs and impact on investment in the SME arena. He also claimed that current labour laws allow for flexibility at company level in how employee relations are managed and disputes resolved.

“We cannot accept a trade union movement seeking to go backwards or yearning to make us like others who have different structures and economies, which are based on very high taxation of capital and of those we employ.

“We must acknowledge, among ourselves, that we are different and that we need our own model,” Mr Noonan said.

Mr Bruton was also quizzed on late payments regulation and the potential for a reversal of the 45% cut in employers’ rebate on redundancy, made in Budget 2012.

While he largely fudged the latter issue — much like his colleague John Perry, the small business minister, did at the same conference last year — Mr Bruton said the Government will push to bring more agencies, particularly the HSE, into line with the agreed 15-day business payment agreement.

Meanwhile, Mr Noonan also called for more urgent Government action to tackle youth unemployment, warning that Ireland “must not become a donor country of educated young people creating wealth for other countries”.

“We need to address the problems that need fixing, but we need to look to tomorrow rather than today or yesterday. We know any future success can only be built on investment, skills, ability and innovation,” he said.