asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that for some time past there has been a labour dispute at the Benduff slate quarry with the result that only four men are now employed where formerly over 60 hands were kept at work, and whether, seeing the great difficulty there is in getting supplies of Irish slates at present and the great need of work in that district, he will use the influence of his Department in effecting a settlement of the dispute in question which is having a serious reaction on road work and employment conditions generally in the area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Cork Labour Dispute.
The dispute at the Benduff slate quarries has been receiving the attention of my Department since May last. Representatives of the company and of the workers were invited to attend a joint conference with a view to effecting an early settlement of the dispute but, apparently, the mediation of my Department was not acceptable to one of the parties. In the circumstances, I fear that there is nothing further which I can do in the matter.
Since I tabled this question, I have been informed that what the Minister states is a fact—that his Department has interested itself in this matter. The party that he refers to as not being agreeable to accept departmental interference was, I understand, not the employés. So far as I am informed, there is no dispute between the employés and their employers on the question of wages. They are quite agreed on that point. The point is that the men, who are quite agreeable to go back to work, are prevented from going back by the labour officials. I ask the Minister to appeal to his auxiliaries—the official Labour Party—to permit these men to go back to work. It is the Labour Party who are keeping these men out of work in this case.
Arising out of the Deputy's supplementary question, I should like to ask Deputy O'Neill whether he will go down to West Cork and make the statement he has made here with reference to the trade union officials. The statement he has made is absolutely untrue and he knows it.
It is quite in accordance with fact.