22 January 2026
SDLP Opposition Economy Spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin MLA has said that Sinn Féin is letting down workers following confirmation from the Minister for the Economy that the long-promised Good Jobs Bill will not be laid before the Assembly before March 2026.
Ms McLaughlin was speaking after the Minister appeared before the Committee for the Economy and confirmed that the Bill would not be introduced this month, despite repeated assurances to the contrary.
Ms McLaughlin said:
“Once again, workers have been let down by broken promises on when the Good Jobs Bill will finally be brought forward. Only recently, the Minister dismissed concerns that her Department would miss its own deadline for laying the Bill this month - yet here we are, with another delay and another missed commitment.
“I am deeply concerned that the drafting of this Bill has still not been completed. The Minister and her Department must explain why realistic timelines were never set out in the first place. This ongoing uncertainty has placed the Committee in an extremely difficult position and may now force it to sit during the Summer Recess in order to carry out the proper scrutiny that legislation of this importance demands.
“These delays directly affect workers across our society. People were promised a transformational improvement in workplace rights by a Sinn Féin Minister, but so far all they have seen is drift and delay and there is a real concern that what is brought forward will be significantly watered down.
“Workers deserve better than this. They deserve an Executive that delivers on its commitments, not one that repeatedly moves the goalposts and leaves people in the dark about when real change will finally arrive.”