I promised Deputy Briscoe that I would give him an opportunity to put a question, which he raised at the beginning, to the Minister for Industry and Commerce before the House rose.
Irish Omnibus Company Dispute.
I have sent a copy of the question to the Minister for Industry and Commerce. The question is: To ask the Minister for Industry and Commerce what steps, if any, he is now prepared to take in connection with the dispute between the employees of the I.O.C. and the Company. Further, if he is aware that eleven men, members of the N.U.R. at Limerick, were dismissed for refusing to handle goods of the I.O.C. arising out of instructions from their organisation, and that last night two men at the North Wall were similarly dismissed, and that to-day the whole staff consisting of 150 men have gone on strike. If he is further aware that the Irish headquarters of the N.U.R. have approved of this action and that the Irish Secretary to the N.U.R., who is at present in London has signified his intention, if necessary, of calling out all railway-men throughout the Free State, and that this Union controls eighty per cent. of the men engaged on railway-work in the Irish Free State. To ask the Minister further if he is aware that such a strike will have serious consequences on all branches of industry and trade and will completely tie up all exports, and if he can make any statement as to his intentions.
I took particular care in this question to try and get a statement from the Minister that would not tie him up in any way or commit him as to his opinion on the merits or the demerits of the parties concerned on either side. I do not propose to delay the House by going into any details except to say that if the Minister will make a statement that he or his Department is prepared to arbitrate, or bring the parties together so as to prevent any further dislocation, he will be saving the country from what may be very serious results. I need not point out, at the present time, that if this strike at the North Wall develops the whole of the shipping, inward and outward, would be shut down. All the transport of the country will be dislocated if the men are not saved from going out on strike, which they will do, in view of the united attitude of the labour people on this particular matter, unless a satisfactory arrangement is arrived at. In view of the fact that the Dáil will not meet again until November and that we are faced with this very serious situation I would like to hear any remarks that the Minister may wish to make.
I would like to associate myself with Deputy Briscoe in his request that, at this juncture, the Minister should intervene. The Minister has on other occasions, intervened with very good results. On this occasion he should use all the resources of his Department to prevent this industrial trouble from spreading. It may develop and have very serious consequences to the trade and commerce of this city. For that reason, I join with Deputy Briscoe in asking the Minister to intervene before this trouble develops to any greater extent.
In reference to the question, the facts as stated in the second sentence are known to me. The statements in the third sentence are not known to me, and I need not refer to the matter contained in the last sentence. With regard to the dispute in general, my Department has spared no efforts to bring these parties together. It has taken whatever steps are open to it to bring them together, and I shall continue to use every means in my power to get them together.
I am sorry the Minister has not taken the trouble in the intervening period to find out whether the second part of my question is correct.
In fifteen minutes?
I did not take it that the Minister is disputing the facts.
I said I did not know them as facts.
If the Minister will give the House some assurance that he will go even outside his ordinary course to prevent this strike spreading——
By doing what?
By intervening and calling these people together.
How?
I do not happen to be the Minister.
Does the Deputy know the powers the Minister for Industry and Commerce has?
The Minister should take every step in his power to avert this strike.
That is being done.
If the Minister will assure the House that he will continue to use these powers, particularly in view of the development that is taking place, that is all I can at the present moment say.
The Dáil adjourned at 4.12 p.m. until Wednesday, November 19, 1930.