In two days’ time, the Dáil will vote on a simple but powerful principle: should workers have the right to be represented by their trade union — or should employers be allowed to ignore them?
People Before Profit’s Trade Union Recognition Bill, set for debate and vote this Wednesday, will force companies like Ryanair, notorious for union-busting, to recognise and negotiate with workers who organise.
At the moment, in Ireland, a worker can join a union — but the boss has no obligation to even acknowledge it. This leaves workers vulnerable in the face of bullying, low pay, and unsafe conditions.
Paul Murphy TD, who is introducing the Bill, said:
“Ryanair spent decades refusing to deal with unions, even when workers organised in large numbers. And they’re not alone. In retail, tech, hospitality and finance, bosses routinely ignore workers’ demands for union recognition. This Bill would change that. It would give workers a real right to organise and be heard.”
The Bill would allow workers to trigger a process via the Labour Court to secure mandatory union recognition — where 20% or more of the workforce (or a category within it) are members of a union. It would require companies to negotiate on pay, hours and conditions, and ensure union reps can access workplaces.
This vote comes amid soaring living costs, record corporate profits, and a surge in precarious work. Yet Ireland remains one of the few European countries where there is no legal right to union recognition. People Before Profit is calling for all parties and independents who claim to stand with workers to vote for this Bill.
“Workers are facing a cost-of-living crisis, economic uncertainty and attempts to pass the cost of Trump’s tariffs onto their shoulders. To resist this, we need strong, fighting unions. For all the talk from other parties about caring for workers to mean anything, it has to be backed up with active support to those workers organising. You either side with organised workers — or with corporate power.”
“We’ve heard enough empty words about supporting workers. Now it’s time to vote for something that would actually shift the balance of power in their favour,” said Murphy.
“Any TD who refuses to back this bill is voting to let bosses like Michael O’Leary ignore the voices of the very workers who keep their profits flowing.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The Trade Union Recognition Bill 2021 sets out a process by which, where 20% or more of employees in a workplace or category are members of a union, they can apply to the Labour Court to compel the employer to negotiate.
The Bill will be debated this Wednesday, 14 May 2025 from 10am.