The Employment Permit Equality campaign is a group of hundreds of general employment permit holders. They are campaigning for equal rights for all people on employment permits. We believe that all workers should be able to stand up for their rights in work and be able to change job if they need to.
Employment Permit Equality
About Our Campaign
We all deserve the right to work in dignity and safety, to be paid a decent wage and free from discrimination or exploitation. People on general employment permits are doing essential jobs like looking after older people, picking, packing and cooking food, driving busses and building houses. They deserve to be treated fairly in this work.
Ireland currently operates a tiered system which grants better rights to workers depending on their job. For example, those who hold a critical skills permit, such as engineers and IT professionals have more rights than general employment permit holders like carers and agriculture workers. For those on general employment permits it is much more difficult to change employer or sector. As a result, many general employment permit holders face poor terms and conditions and are more at risk of exploitation.
Right now, the Government is considering a new piece of legislation, the General Scheme of the Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill, 2019, which aims to make the employment permits system more responsive and flexible to the needs of the labour market.
However, increasing the flexibility of the system while leaving workers vulnerable and with limited rights and options is irresponsible and dangerous, and could lead to more exploitation and to people becoming undocumented.
This is why MRCI is calling for changes to this legislation to enable workers to better protect themselves and make the system fairer.
The Government has the power to recognise the contribution of essential workers and fight exploitation by simply providing people on General Employment Permits the same rights as those on Critical Skills Permits.
This would mean General Employment Permit holders would have the right to freely change employers after two years instead of five which would enable them to better challenge exploitation and sub-standard conditions.
In addition, it would mean equal rights to have their immediate family with them in Ireland and the right for their family members to work.
