asked the Minister for Lands whether it has yet been decided to give the benefit of the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936, to persons engaged on Land Commission improvement work and afforestation schemes, or the cause of the delay in doing so; also the reason for the recent introduction of the piecework system on certain improvement schemes carried out by the Commissioners.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Conditions of Employment Act.
The provisions of the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936, are being applied in the case of labourers employed by the Land Commission on estate improvement works. Under Section 3 of the Act the work of forestry is excluded, and consequently forestry labourers do not come within the scope of the Act. As regards the last part of the question, it has always been the practice of the Land Commission to have improvement works carried out on a piecework basis when it was considered that such an arrangement was desirable.
Is it considered desirable to have two sets of men working on the same scheme on different conditions, namely, at a daily rate and at a piecework rate?
Sometimes it is found desirable to have the work carried out on a piecework rate, particularly if the amount of work and the expenditure are so small as not to justify the employment of a ganger.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary answer my supplementary question? Does he think that good results can be obtained by employing two sets of men on the same scheme, one set being paid at a daily rate and another set at piecework rate?
Sometimes it may work all right. That has been the experience of the Land Commission.