The Employment (Miscellaneous Provision) Bill 2017 has reached Report Stage in Dail Eireann this week. It would appear that a number of Opposition Amendments are destined to succeed given the support that Deputy Willie O’Dea (FF) is voicing. These Amendments will cause very significant financial and administrative difficulties for small and medium-sized employers throughout the Country.
As such a delegation of employer representative bodies, including CSNA met with Minister Regina Doherty to outline our very real concerns on the effects that these changes would make to your businesses. It was very obvious that the Minister, who is also opposing these Amendments is very determined to continue her opposition to any further changes to the Government Bill, including the putting down her own Amendments to remove parts of the Bill that were hastily inserted at Committee Stage. We provided evidence of the effects that their Amendments and proposed changes would have on members’ businesses (as outlined in last week’s newsletter).
We have written to Fianna Fail spokesperson on Employment Affairs seeking an urgent meeting to convey our concerns. The Bill will proceed to the Senate presently.