SIPTU: Govt protection for employee arriving too slowly

SIPTU said the protection measures brought in by the Government today for employees are too slow to stop exploitation.

Earlier Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin announced that the number of labour inspectors is to be increased to eighty, and they are to be spread around the country.

A number of other protection measures, agreed in the national partnership deal, are also being introduced.

SIPTU president Jack O'Connor said these are important steps, but "the measures should have been implemented in the spring of 2004" when the country first opened out doors to the new EU accession states.

Earlier today, he said: "A great deal has to be done if exploitation is to be stopped in our labour market."