'If-and-when' contracts taking us back to days of hiring fairs, minister warns

Ireland could be stepping back to the days of 19th century hiring fairs as tens of thousands of workers take casual jobs when and where they can get them, Business Minister Ged Nash has warned.

The Labour Party minister said he is working on measures to combat “if-and-when” contracts, offering workers little or no rights, exposed in an independent report commissioned by the coalition last year.