Tonight is a win for freelance workers
Senator Ivana Bacik has welcomed the passage of the Competition (Amendment) Bill through both Houses of the Oireachtas.
“This Bill arises from a long-standing Labour Party commitment to ensure protection of the right to collectively bargain for freelance workers, including journalists, actors and others, who perform their work on a self-employed or contract-for-services basis.
“I am delighted to celebrate this vitctory with the various unions that have been campaigning on this matter for some time. SIPTU, the National Union of Journalists, Equity, the Musicians Union of Ireland and many other unions have a long-standing commitment to reform in this area. The Bill we are considering on Report Stage today represents the culmination of their long campaign.
“Throughout the many stages of this Bill we have all become aware of the very detrimental effect that current competition law has had on the livelihoods of many people involved in voice-over work. I refer not just to actors working on voice-overs because it is clear that it also had an impact on many other trades, particularly in areas like journalism, performance and the arts. It has had a chilling effect on photographers, writers, musicians, models and many other self-employed people on whose behalf unions have traditionally collectively negotiated.
“Tonight is a win for freelance journalists, voice-over artists and session musicians all over the country who will now have enhanced trade union rights once this bill is signed into law.”