Minister Martin praises work bill
Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment Micheál Martin has published the Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005.
The bill facilitates a co-operative and positive approach by individual undertakings and their employees to meeting the objectives of the directive.
It encourages parties to agree their own arrangements for providing information and consultation that are best suited to their needs.
Deputy Martin said the bill heralded a new era of effective, two-way information and consultation practices in undertakings.
Mr Martin told The Evening Echo: “The bill provides employees with a right to information without prejudicing the responsibility of management to make decisions on the operation of the undertaking.
“I see this bill as being very advantageous to business and thus employment development and sustainability.
“Respecting the tradition of voluntarism in Irish industrial relations, this bill provides the maximum flexibility to employers and employees to devise arrangements which best suit their own particular circumstances.”
It is expected that the Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Bill 2005 will be introduced in the Seanad in the autumn.
