People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy is furious with the Government whom he says must stop ‘Trumpian’ attacks on working from home arrangements.
The dail deputy has expressed support for Fórsa’s resistance to anti-worker and anti-women attack as he views it.
“It is shocking that the Department of Social Protection has suddenly told workers they will have to spend a minimum of two days per week in the office from February.
The 41-year-old Murphy has now completed 10 years as a TD in Dublin South West having first been elected in the 2014 by-election on an anti-water charges campaign.
People Before Profit will support Fórsa trade union's resistance to this move and to defend the current arrangements in which workers in the department have to work a minimum of one day per week in the office. We also welcome Fórsa's announcement that it will ballot for industrial action should any members be threatened with disciplinary action if they follow the union instruction to resist the unilateral change to working arrangements.
Working from home has major benefits. It provides important work life balance improvements for workers and also helps to reduce commuting time and related pollution and emissions.
The unilateral Department of Social Protection attack on workers’ terms and conditions is a deeply retrograde step that negatively affects workers. In particular it negatively affects women workers who carry most of the care responsibilities in society, and who therefore benefit most from being able to work from home.
Murphy describes himself as an eco-socialist. Despite losing the working class areas of Tallaght-Fettercairn to Dublin Mid-West, Murphy managed to improve his first preference vote this time around from 4,477 to 5,081. He is adament working from home remains essential.
It is no coincidence that this move follows Donald Trump's ‘back to the office’ announcement on 20th January. The eagerness of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to jump on the Trumpian anti worker and anti women bandwagon is as predictable as it is damaging. The new government is leading the way in this attack on workers’ rights. They must be stopped now or bosses will be emboldened to try to roll back on working from home in the private sector too.
The Minister and the Government must act immediately to reverse this deeply damaging decision and instruct their Departments to protect and extend working from home arrangements or face determined worker resistance.”
