asked the Minister for Lands if he is aware that forestry workers who attend Mass on Holidays of Obligation during their working hours have a half day's pay stopped from them, and if he will state if this is the policy of the Minister.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Forestry Workers' Attendance at Mass.
It is not the policy of the Department that workmen employed at State forests should lose a half day's pay or any pay if they attend Mass on Church holidays. At only a comparatively few forestry centres is any work done on Church holidays, and the instructions are that at those places where it is the custom to work on Church holidays reasonable time off is to be allowed for attendance at Mass, and that the men concerned are to arrange to make up the time taken, during the week or the preceding week.
Some misunderstanding appears to have arisen at Kilworth Forest, to which centre I think the Deputy's question refers. The men there preferred to abstain from work altogether for the day on the recent Church holidays. There was no reason why any pay should have been lost to them provided they were satisfied to work the extra time involved.
Am I to take it that the statement in the question is quite correct? In view of the fact that these forestry workers are some distance from the churches, and having regard to the operation of this unpopular regulation, is it worth while stopping this half-day's pay from them? Why not disregard the regulation?
Where men are engaged on work of this kind the practice is that they are given reasonable facilities for attending Mass, on the understanding that they shall make up for the time lost at another period during the week. The men at Kilworth have not been differently treated from those engaged in similar work all over the country.