Congress General Secretary, David Begg, has written to Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, highlighting his “serious concern” at the legal restrictions placed on the right to collective bargaining for certain workers. In his letter, sent on 18th December, Begg warns that the Competition Authority’s decision to make collective bargaining unlawful for certain workers, including freelancers and workers within radio, television, cinemas and the visual arts who have a ‘contract for service’, is contrary to international conventions to which Ireland is a signatory. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has defended the decision of the Competition Authority by claiming that it is prevented from taking action that will defend workers rights by the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding under the EU/IMF Programme. However, in his letter Begg points out that representatives of the EU/IMF/ECB Troika have stated to Congress that it is not their view that the Memorandum of Understanding prevents the Government from taking action to bring Ireland’s law in line with its international commitments in this area.