asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is aware that men employed in a temporary capacity on the A and B postal staff in Dublin are in receipt of the inadequate wage of £3 15s. 0d. a week, single, or £4 2s. 6d., married, and if he will take steps to increase these wages and also grant a half-day holiday each week to these grades; furthermore, if he will take such steps as are necessary to have such of these men as complete one year's satisfactory service in a temporary capacity placed on the permanent staff, and also have the present maximum age limits increased so as to permit of present temporary staff with long service in the Defence Forces being made permanent.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Temporary Postmen.
The information required by the Deputy is given in a written reply which, with the permission of an Ceann Comhairle, will be circulated with the Official Report.
Following is the reply:—
There are two categories of temporary officers employed in the Dublin Postal District, viz., male temporary Post Office clerks and temporary postmen, and their maximum wage is:—
Temporary Post Office Clerks.
(a) Employed at any time in 1945 or 1946, £4 11s. 4d. per week.
(b) New entrants recruited since 1st January, 1947, £4 6s. per week.
(c) An allowance of 2/6 a week is paid when employed on Grade A duties.
Temporary Postmen.
(a) Employed at any time in 1945 or 1946, £4 1s. 10d. per week.
(b) New entrants recruited since 1st January, 1947, £3 15s. per week.
(c) An allowance of 2/3 a week is paid when employed on Grade A duties.
There is no discrimination in the matter of wages as between married and single men.
These wages scales are regarded as equitable in relation to the rates for other Departmental grades.
The position of the temporary grades on the question of a weekly half-holiday is precisely the same as that of the other Departmental grades, i.e., a half-holiday can only be considered subject to the maintenance of a 44hour net working week.
In accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Regulation Acts, no person can be appointed to any permanent situation in the Civil Service unless and until a certificate of his qualification for such situation has been issued by the Civil Service Commissioners. The Acts referred to also provide that, with certain exceptions which are unrelated to the type of posts referred to in the question, every appointment to any permanent situation in the Civil Service shall be made by means of a competitive examination conducted according to regulations to be made by the Civil Service Commissioners with the consent of the Minister for Finance. Competitive examinations for appointment to situations as established postman, confined to temporary and part-time postmen, have been held periodically. The last such competitive examination was held in August, 1947. The service qualification prescribed in the regulations on that occasion was two years' continuous service or four years in the aggregate. The upper age limit was 45 years, but there was provision in the regulations for an extension of the upper age limit to 50 years in the case of candidates who had rendered certain service with the Defence Forces.
In accordance with the normal practice, the age limits and service qualifications to be prescribed for any future confined competitive examinations for situations as postman will be carefully considered in my Department before the Civil Service Commissioners are approached as regards the making of the necessary regulations. It is unlikely, however, that the required period of service prescribed in any future such competitive examinations held will be reduced to the period of one year suggested by the Deputy, nor is it likely that any concession in the matter of age limits, additional to that already referred to, will be granted to men who have rendered service in the Defence Forces.