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Michael D seeks to restore union rights for freelance workers

Irish Labour Party President Michael D. Higgins is introducing a bill to establish the rights of freelance workers to be represented by a trade union in collective bargaining. According to Michael D.:

The introduction of this Bill would be the most effective way of redressing the curtailment of rights that had been visited on such workers as freelance actors, photographers, journalists, and indeed, ultimately, any atypical workers, as a result of the Competition Authority’s recent case taken against Siptu and its Equity section.
The Competition Authority’s ruling that all atypical workers who are not in constant employment may not have a trade union represent them for a collective agreement will affect more and more people as PAYE workers are replaced by contract workers.
This attempt to roll back the clock on 150 years of trade union rights needs to be dealt with as a matter of urgency. I raised this matter in the Dáil on 1 February 2006 and have sought to draw attention to the issue ever since. I will continue to do so.
In this regard, I urge the social partners to seek support for this measure in the context of the ongoing talks on a new national agreement.