Month: November 2016

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has welcomed a cross-party agreement in Seanad Eireann today (10 November 2016) to introduce exemptions from competition law for certain self-employed workers.

The Competition (Amendment) Bill was introduced by the Labour party as a Private Member’s Bill. The Minister, working with Senators Ivana Bacik and Ged Nash, has introduced amendments to the bill which allow for specific exemptions aimed at protecting vulnerable, self-employed workers.

The amended Bill provides that when it is enacted, three categories of workers (voice-over actors, session musicians and freelance journalists) will be exempt from section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 and be allowed to engage in collective bargaining. In addition, a formal process is set out allowing trade unions apply for similar exemptions for certain categories of self-employed workers.

Commenting on the Competition (Amendment) Bill, the Minister stated: “The original Bill was aimed at protecting vulnerable self-employed worker as initiated. Whilst understanding the principle behind the original Bill, I was very seriously concerned about the scope of the Bill and the impact it would have on the Exchequer. However, having worked with both Senator Bacik & Nash, I believe we have found the best way forward.

I feel we have the appropriate balance now between protecting vulnerable workers and ensuring fair competition in the market. It is important that certain categories of workers are protected and have the right to collective bargaining. I want to promote quality secure employment and this bill assists with that.

I am delighted that the Senator and her party, along with other Senators in Seanad Eireann, have worked in a collaborative manner with the Government to ensure a more targeted measure has been agreed and that the focus of the Bill is on vulnerable self-employed workers.”

The Minister also stated, “This legislation is a positive example of co-operative politics. I look forward to similar collaboration in the Oireachtas in the future.”

Supernatural Irish mystery game Scéal (meaning ‘Story’) by Independent game developer Joint Custody is now available on Steam. Rooted in Irish folklore, the game tells the emotional tale of a young girl’s spirit that’s trapped on earth. She must unravel the truth about her past to secure her passage to the afterlife. The world of Sceal is like a ‘living storybook’, with rich watercolor-style graphics that pop-up and animate as you travel through it.

Drawing heavily on Irish mythology and Celtic symbolism, players inhabit the spirit of a young girl who unlocks fragments of her memory by completing tasks for the townspeople of Irish fishing village Carlingford. On her travels, the girl encounters a mysterious Raven named Branna, who promises to take her to the afterlife once all her memories are restored. Branna warns the spirit girl that the outcome of her story will change depending on her actions, with the game containing three unique endings.

Throughout Sceal the spirit girl must use her supernatural powers to complete tasks and quests. These include the ability to possess the bodies of villagers as well as transform into an Angel of Light or a Dark Banshee. Turning into these two supernatural beings enables the spirit girl to use their powers to paint the story in summer or winter colours and unlock more clues to progress the story.

To craft an authentic soundtrack for the game, developer Joint Custody worked with renowned Irish folk singers Lorcan Mac Mathuna and Aislinn Duffy, who wrote and composed the music for the game. Each track was written and recorded in three different styles to reflect the various emotional states of the main character. The full soundtrack is available on Soundcloud at: http://bit.ly/2dY2kt