Kelly Challenges Fine Gael to support SF effort to enshrine right to collective bargaining into constitution

Sinn Féin Swords Representative Conor Kelly has slammed Fine
Gael’s promise that if the Irish people vote yes to Lisbon and they are
returned to office, they will legislate for the right to collective
bargaining. Kelly described this promise as a bribe and challenged
Fine Gael to support a Sinn Féin effort to enshrine the right to
collective bargaining in the constitution.

Kelly said:

“Last year Sinn Féin introduced a Bill to enshrine the right to
collective bargaining in the constitution. We were joined by the Unite
trade union in launching the Bill. The unions have been demanding this
for years. Fine Gael have been entirely silent on this issue until now
and had ample opportunity to deal with it when they were previously in
power. They never bothered.

“The latest promise from Fine Gael shows the depths to which the Yes
side in the Lisbon campaign will sink. The continual blackmail over what
will or won’t happen depending on how people cast their vote has turned
democracy into a farce. First it was the Yes side threatening the
economy will implode if we vote no. Now they are offering bribes. The
right to collective bargaining is not something that should be dependent
on whether people support the Lisbon Treaty.

“The question must be asked if Fine Gael intends to legislate for the
right to collective bargaining in the event of the Irish people once
again rejecting the Lisbon Treaty.

“Fine Gael needs to be clear. If they are really interested in workers’
rights they need to commit to bringing forward a constitutional
referendum to enshrine to right to be represented by a trade union and
to bargain collectively into the constitution.”