Introduction

Since the restoration of the assembly in 2024, Sinn Fein has for the first time held the role of Minister of the Economy. Dr. Caoimhe Archibald, who replaced Senator Conor Murphy as Minister, continues to prioritise workers’ rights and the creation of good quality jobs.

In the Executive, Sinn Féin Ministers have been instrumental in the achievement of public sector pay agreements and ensuring that the Executive and contractors are living wage employers.

In this mandate the Minister for the Economy Dr. Caoimhe Archibald will seek to implement the ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Rights Bill to the assembly. 

Minister Archibald has stated that strong workers’ rights legislation will protect the most vulnerable workers in our workforce – among them, young people, women, and people with disabilities who find themselves at the brunt of unfair and unequal employment policies.

This landmark legislation underlines Sinn Féin’s commitment to fully utilise the powers of the Economy Department and use them to deliver tangible benefits to workers, families, employers, and businesses.

The legislation being brought to the assembly is an outworking of Sinn Féin of previous Sinn Féin policy documents and is informed by considered and continued engagement with workers and trade unions.  

The legislation comes at an opportune time for this island as cross border and all Ireland economic activity increases to record levels and the need to build a well – paid, secure and skilled workforce to service that growth becomes more apparent. 

The ‘Good Jobs’ Employment Legislation 

Key provisions of the legislation will address fair pay and benefits, terms of contracts, leave entitlements, flexible working arrangements, protection from redundancy, strengthening unions and improved collective bargaining arrangements. 

There are 4 themes of the legislation:

1. Terms of Employment

The Terms of Employment section puts a renewed focus on ending insecure and precarious work arrangements and puts into practice Sinn Féin’s commitment to delivering good jobs. This section will include the following proposals:

• Workers on zero hours contracts will have the right to move to banded hours contracts that reflects their average working hours;
• Tackles ‘fire and rehire’ practices which have undermined workers’ rights;
• Strengthens obligations on employers to comply with formal notification procedures when making collective redundancies
• Enhances protections for agency workers who will be provided with clearer information about the terms of their work assignment.
  

2. Pay and Benefits

The Pay and Benefits section of the legislation seeks to strengthen workers’ rights around pay transparency and job security. It will seek to achieve this through implementing the following proposals:

• Ensuring that tips are passed on to workers in full;
• Ensuring that all workers will be legally entitled to a payslip and an accurate recording of hours worked;
• The introduction of statutory right to carers leave;
• Increasing the reference period used to calculate holiday pay from 12 to 52 weeks;
• Making requests for flexible working arrangements a day one right;
• Strengthens protections for pregnant women against redundancy and unfair dismissal.
  

3. Voice and Representation

The Voice and Representation section will strengthen Trade Union rights to recruit, organise and engage in Industrial Action and social dialogue. This will be strengthened through the following measures:

• The Department of Economy will work closely with Labour Relations Agency, trade unions, and employers to strengthen the tripartite model of social dialogue;
• Trade union membership will be expanded by giving more workers the opportunity to be represented by a recognised trade union, by lowering the legal recognition threshold from 21 employees in a business to 10employees;
• Easing access for trade unions to enter workplaces in order to promote the benefits of trade unions, engage with union members, and negotiate with employers on issues such as terms, conditions and pay;
• Working towards expanding collective bargaining coverage to 80% of the labour market as envisioned in the EU Adequate Minimum Wage Directive.
• Permitting trade unions to use electronic balloting;
• Strengthening protections from unfair dismissal for workers;
• Strengthening collective bargaining rights.
  

4. Work – Life Balance

The Work Life Balance section will strengthen flexible working arrangements so that workers can have an adequate work life balance and are not faced with work related stress and burnout. This will make it easier for workers to balance their work duties alongside personal and family commitments. The legislation will do this through implementation of the following:

• Introduction of a statutory Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect which will limit instances where workers are expected to answer work related communication outside work hours,
• Making the qualifying period for requesting flexible working a day one right; two requests can made per year;
• Enabling paternity leave to be taken in non – consecutive weeks, rather than having to be taken as a two week block;
• Introducing statutory rights to carers leave;
• Implementing paid leave entitlements for parents of newborns who require neo- natal care due to a premature birth or illness