Worker rights charter a giant leap forward

IN his letter on EU workers’ rights (September 7), Martin Ferris says the solemn declaration on the issue contains “no new instruments to promote or protect workers’ rights” and it has “no meaningful legal status”.

Yet he ignores the raft of such instruments contained in the Lisbon Treaty which, if ratified, will have a very definite and meaningful legal status.

For the first time, the EU treaties will recognise a host of workers’ rights protections through its adoption of the charter of fundamental rights.

These include the rights to collective bargaining and action (article 28); protection in the event of unjustified dismissal (article 30); fair and just working conditions (article 31); parental leave (article 33); social security and assistance (article 34) and clauses on the protection of young people at work (article 32).

These new rights represent a giant leap forward for workers within the EU and it is amazing that any organisation claiming to represent workers could oppose Lisbon. Trade unions such as SIPTU and the Charter Group have already recognised the benefits of these measures and are calling for a Yes vote.

Mr Ferris also says that the declaration “does nothing to reverse the series of recent judgments by the European Court of Justice undermining workers’ rights”.

He fails to recognise that the judgments in these cases (Laval, Viking, etc) did not expose some kind of EU anti-worker agenda – in fact, they exposed the serious weaknesses in domestic legislation protecting workers in the countries involved in these cases (Latvia and the Britain).

In Ireland, we have definitive legal protections laid down by the national minimum wage act and the registered employment agreements which cannot be deviated from.

As a result, cases such as those mentioned by Mr Ferris simply cannot arise in relation to Ireland.

Barry Walsh

Brooklawn

Clontarf

Dublin 3