Begg praises new measures to counter exploitation
16 Jul 2006
Congress General Secretary, David Begg has strongly praised the new employment standards measures contained in Towards 2016, saying they represent the "greatest single leap forward in social policy" ever undertaken in Ireland.
In a speech to be delivered to the McGill Summer School on Monday, July 17 Mr Begg says:
"I have no hesitation in saying that these measures in their totality...represent the single biggest leap forward in social policy initiated in this country. Other important social policy changes were inspired by the EU but this is the biggest thing we have ever done of our own volition.
"It is also the most difficult project Congress has ever undertaken both in terms of its complexity and in overcoming the opposition to it. The international significance of this work has already been referred to by the Taoiseach. The validity of his observation was underlined by the fact that we have already had a visit by representatives of the British Cabinet Office seeking to explore the relevance of this agreement to their immigration challenge."
Speaking on the topic of Immigration, Integration and Cultural Identity Mr Begg says the new measures are something of a watershed in global terms:
"It can be argued that the Irish Trade Union movement has successfully bucked the very debilitating and damaging global trend towards weakening and diminishing employment rights and worker protection. Admittedly, we may have started from a low base, but we have succeeded in halting a trend that, ultimately, benefits only a tiny minority and damages social cohesion.
"I know that some of our affiliated unions who oppose the agreement have philosophical objections to the whole concept of social partnership. While respecting this outlook I have to question whether fidelity to a philosophical viewpoint should stand in the way of an agreement which offers an unprecedented level of protection to migrant and indigenous workers alike."
Towards 2016, the successor agreement to Sustaining Progress is currently being voted on by some 600,000 trade union members. The process will be completed on September 5, when Congress will hold a special delegate conference on the proposed deal.