Working rights

the eu flag in front of a sand tone coloured building

RTE report that the EU Commission, has issued a warning to Ireland, and seven other countries, for failing to fully adopt an EU directive on transparent and predictable working conditions.

The Commission statement states they have

“…  adopted two new reports on the Employers Sanctions Directive and the Seasonal Workers Directive , assessing efforts to ensure fair working conditions for third-country nationals, prevent migrant exploitation and tackle illegal employment. 

RTE continues,

“The European Commission said it has decided to open infringement procedures by sending a letter of formal notice to Ireland, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and Finland.

I wonder if the Commission has considered writing to HMG to see of the UK is infringing on the “level playing field” clauses of the TCA. The UK’s employee protection rights remain amongst the weakest in the OECD. I expect the Commission is currently too busy to pursue the UK on this issue. …

Eire is an independent country!

I was pointed at this article, in the Guardian, by Ireland’s President, Michael Higgins, foreshadowing the 100th Anniversary of the Anglo-Irish Treaty that established Eire as an independent state. Given the lethal violence that has occurred ever since those that came to be called British arrived in Ireland, this is a remarkable piece. This is a remarkably gentle offering recognising that both the British & Irish peoples are victims trapped by their own history, a history rarely studied in the Great Britain, at least not by me. It is more urgent than at any time since 1997 due to the growing inter-state animosity between the UK and the EU over the issues of the Irish Border resurrected from its resting, and it was only resting, place by Brexit. The full article says more ...