The Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions repeats its call for the NI Executive to bring forward the Good Jobs Employment Bill before MLAs leave Stormont for the summer recess. We reiterate that there is time for our elected MLAs to debate and scrutinise the legislation in the Assembly if the will is there.
Speaking today, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Murphy said:
We are disappointed that the Good Jobs Bill has not made it out of the Executive following today’s meeting. This bill represents a real opportunity to set our economy on a new path, one built around quality jobs and genuine prosperity. This is a significant and comprehensive piece of legislation that would improve the lives of workers across Northern Ireland. Preventing this bill doesn't just shelve legislation, it closes down a debate this society needs to have. This is a backward and misguided step.
For several years, business representative organisations had an opportunity to engage constructively in shaping a modern framework for employment relations in Northern Ireland - one based not on conflict, but on constructive participation and dialogue. The trade union movement consistently argued that giving workers a stronger voice in the workplace, improving participation in decision-making, and strengthening mechanisms for dialogue and representation are not barriers to economic success; they are increasingly recognised internationally as foundations of more productive, innovative, and sustainable economies.
Unfortunately, instead of embracing that opportunity, too many business lobby organisations remain anchored to a defence of the status quo.
They have sought at every stage to delay, obfuscate and misrepresent key elements of this legislation. Despite all of this engagement over the last two years, it appears that participation, on their part, was never genuine. We find this a deeply regrettable state of affairs.
The trade union movement has been engaged in good faith discussion and consultation on this bill for over two years now. We met with businesses and their representatives repeatedly, sought common ground, and made clear from the outset that our ambition was bigger than any single piece of legislation. We wanted a new era of economic cooperation, where all stakeholders worked together to build something better for everyone by removing unnecessary friction from the workplace.
Opinion polling has shown that the proposals in the Good Jobs Bill are hugely popular with the public, with clear majorities of every demographic and voting preference. The majority of parties in the NI Assembly have stated support for the Bill. It is a challenge to our democracy that special interest lobbyists are being allowed veto progress.
What this moment requires now is political leadership and a willingness to look beyond narrow interests of a few. The Good Jobs bill provides an opportunity for cooperation and collaboration on these issues, but that option was rejected by business and their representative organisations. If, as it appears, the path of this legislation is to be delayed, the trade union movement will pursue these issues through other means. We are clear that a better path is available, but all decisions have consequences, and we will act accordingly.
