asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that the rate of wages paid to men employed by the Office of Public Works in North Mayo is 24/- a week; whether he is further aware that the Mayo County Council are paying a wage of 30/- a week to road workers employed in the same districts, and whether, in view of the discontent that exists because of the difference in these rates of pay, he is prepared to increase the wages of the workers under his jurisdiction.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wages on Public Works in Mayo.
The only men employed by the Office of Public Works in North County Mayo at the rate of 24/- per week are those employed on minor relief schemes and peat development schemes. These schemes are provided in rural areas for the relief of unemployment among farm labourers, small landholders, and their relatives who normally work on the land, and the rate of wages is, therefore, related to the rate paid to agricultural labourers. It is not proposed to make any increase in the rate.