An Irish South MEP has warned against any weakening of workers’ rights.
Kathleen Funchion’s comments come after a meeting of the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly between the European Parliament and members of Westminster.
The Callan native said the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is placing increasing pressure on workers and families across Ireland and the EU, and should remain a central focus of economic discussions and she outlined that the can be ‘no roll back on the hard won rights of workers”.
She told KCLR News; “When people are able to, you know, pay their bills and earn a decent living they’re able to spend that money in the local economy and that’s a good and a positive impact for our small and medium businesses which we have many of throughout Carlow and Kilkenny”.
MEP Funchion further added; “I welcome discussions on economic security, and I believe we need to put the focus on the cost-of-living crisis which is exasperating the situation for workers and families across Ireland and the EU. My fear is that when we have debates on how best to harness the full potential of our economies, there is a tendency to fall into a conversation around deregulation. Whilst cutting unnecessary administrative burdens is something that we can support, this must not come at the expense of the hard won workers’ rights and standards we have across the EU. As a former trade unionist, I see how beneficial the EU has been towards improving the conditions of workers and this must not be compromised under the guise of reducing bureaucracy.”
