Michael Creed is seeking a workplace legislation exemption for the Irish horse racing industry.GETTY IMAGES
Ireland Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed "is fighting to secure an exemption" for the horse racing industry from workplace legislation that "puts a limit on working hours for stable staff," according to Conor Kane of the LONDON TIMES. The labour court "ruled that training yards and stud operations are not classed as agriculture and so do not qualify for a derogation" under the Working Time Act. The ruling "has raised concerns among trainers and other employers in the industry about the implications for their working practices, given the routines followed by stable staff looking after horses." Ireland Employment Minister Regina Doherty has been approached by the horse racing and breeding industry and Creed "about concerns arising from the labour court ruling." A spokesperson for Creed said, "While appreciating the need to secure the health and welfare of staff, he set out the scale of the problem in the wider sector, which is already facing considerable pressures" (LONDON TIMES, 3/19).
