Minister for Labour Affairs says the EU will remain central to improving working conditions in Ireland
24th September 2009
Speaking at the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) Awards Presentation in Breaffy House Resort, Castlebar, Minister for Labour Affairs, Dara Calleary, TD, outlined the benefits of the EU to Ireland in terms of the improvements in occupational health and safety and employment standards generally.
The Minister said, ‘It is our membership of the EU that has given worker health and safety the priority status that it now has. We need to be at the centre of Europe. We need to maintain our influence there. I believe that those of us who are committed to safe, healthy work places and decent standards of employment need Europe.
Emphasising the importance of the EU in the development of employee rights generally, the Minister said, ‘Heath and safety at work is a right. The enhancement and enforcement of that right and, indeed, the wider spectrum of employee rights, has improved immeasurably since our accession to the EU. ‘
Separately, The Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to maintaining employment standards, saying, ‘There is a lot of misguided commentary about workers rights. This includes the recent debate about the national minimum wage. Let me make it quite clear – the current rate of the national minimum wage in Ireland can not and will not be influenced by Brussels. The national minimum wage and the sectoral pay rates agreed through REAs (Registered Employment Agreements) and EROs (Employment Regulation Orders) are Irish domestic legislation and in fact are key assets to ensure that there can be no race to the bottom.’
The Minister congratulated the National Irish Safety Organisation on its contribution to the development of an occupational health and safety culture in Ireland over the past 45 years. He said that occupational health and safety was something that transcended borders – that there was strong co-operation between the health and safety authorities, North and South, and he was delighted to see that the Annual Occupational Safety Awards were an all-Ireland initiative developed by the National Irish Safety Organisation and its sister organisation, the Northern Ireland Safety Group.
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Note for Editors
Background
NISO is a national not-for-profit, membership-based organisation which promotes and advises on occupational health and safety which was founded in 1963. It has developed also into a training provider in occupational health and safety.
NISO is governed by an Executive Committee, which consists of representatives from HSA, IBEC, ICTU and other interested bodies, as well as elected members who are representative of eight regional committees. All members of the organisation are eligible for election to the Executive Committee.
NISO headquarters is located in Ballymount, D12. It had previously been headquartered in the HSA and, prior to that, in the former Department of Labour. Ballymount is the main location for the provision of training courses, however courses are also provided throughout the country at various other locations.
The 18th Annual Occupational Safety Awards is run on the basis of an all-Island partnership between the National Irish Safety Organisation and the Northern Ireland Safety Group.
The Awards Scheme is recognised as an important event in the annual safety calendar. The awards provide entrants with an opportunity to include in their submissions areas where they have demonstrated 'Superior Performance' in the operation of health and safety management practice.
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Last modified: 24/09/2009
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