Labour party leader hopeful Aodhán Ó' Ríordáin says social dialogue needed to address low pay

A new social dialogue between the government, business leaders and workers can only go ahead if the problems of low pay and insecure work are addressed, Aodhán Ó'Ríordáin has warned.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has placed workers’ rights at the centre of his policy platform for his leadership campaign. Picture: Fergal Phillips

A new social dialogue between the government, business leaders and workers can only go ahead if the problems of low pay and insecure work are addressed, Labour leader hopeful Aodhán Ó’’Ríordáin has warned.

Speaking ahead of the second Labour hustings for the party’’s new leadership, Mr Ó’’Ríordáin ruled out his party participating in any new talks with employers and the government on work practices and pay unless it helped workers.

The Dublin Bay North TD and rival Alan Kelly will go head-to-head again tomorrow night, at the second of four hustings for the leadership contest taking place in north Dublin

In advance of the event, Mr Ó’’Ríordáin said Labour should only back a return to a structured social dialogue in Ireland if it begins by tackling low pay and insecure work.

He noted that employers’’ group IBEC had placed a strong emphasis on incentives for business through tax cuts when discussing any new social partnership.

“Labour should support genuine social dialogue, which exists in some form in most European countries. But we cannot return to the model of social partnership, based on wage moderation and tax cuts, which vastly reduced the scope for investment in public services by running down the Irish tax base for over two decades.

“I will support a dialogue between government, unions, business and civil society if it genuinely addresses the huge burdens on workers, their families and their communities.

“Most of these problems – like housing, affordable childcare, decent health services and sustainable public transport in cities, towns and rural areas – require substantial state investment, which will never be possible if the priority is running down the tax base to incentivise business.”

The former junior minister said that real solutions could be found to helping the estimated 25% of Irish workers who are in low-paid jobs and the 40% of workers aged under 30 in insecure employment.

Mr Ó’’Ríordáin has placed workers’ rights, including establishing a legal right to be represented by a trade union, at the centre of his policy platform for his Labour leadership campaign.

“As Labour leader, I will legislate to establish a right for all workers to be represented by a union. If this is deemed unconstitutional, we will build a movement in support of a referendum to give people the right to be represented by a trade union," he said.