Employment Regulation Order for the security industry must be honoured
The Labour Party has demanded that the Government acts to ensure that the terms of an Employment Regulation Order (ERO) for the security industry is honoured in full following a High Court injunction being secured in August by a small group of employers against the measure.
Speaking following a meeting in Leinster House organised by the Party and which was addressed by SIPTU representatives in the security sector, Labour finance spokesperson, Ged Nash said:
“This is the second time that the same three employers have secured an injunction which denies low paid security workers a legally binding pay increase. It is not on. This means that pay increases for workers in the security industry are being frozen by bad bosses. These workers have not received any pay increase since June 2019. This is a highly regulated industry where all workers are required to be trained and licenced by legislation and they deserve decent pay and conditions.
“The ERO was agreed between unions and employers before being ratified by the Labour Court and adopted by the Minister in compliance with the law. It was by all accounts a long and challenging negotiation and a robust process, in which the employers who have secured the injunction fully participated. This is what makes their actions particularly puzzling. This court injunction is wrong and grossly unfair to workers and their families.
“Government must support their own professed policy and challenge the injunction in the courts.”
Labour employment rights spokesperson Marie Sherlock said:
“This should be a good news story for security workers. They have collective bargaining in their sector and yet there are very profitable companies holding up a very modest pay increase. Security workers were rightly lauded as heroes during the pandemic as vital, frontline workers. This Government is failing these workers and holding up the payment of this ERO is just another kick in the teeth to workers in a sector that have already been through so much.”