asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is aware that as a result of the recent rearrangement of postal deliveries severe hardship has been caused to many postmen as they are doing additional work without any extra time or pay, and in addition, some employees with many years of service are being laid off; and, if so, whether he will take immediate steps to review this matter and the cases of persons doing holiday work who have considerably lower wages.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rearrangement of Postal Deliveries.
I am not aware that recent reorganisations of postal delivery arrangements have imposed additional work on postmen for which they have received no corresponding increase in attendance or pay. If the Deputy will furnish particulars of any cases he has in mind I will have them examined. No permanent employees of the Department have been displaced in consequence of the reorganisation schemes but unfortunately it has not been possible to avoid dispensing with a few temporary men with relatively short or intermittent service.
The rates of pay for temporary substitutes compare favourably with those for permanent postmen and I regret that I can at present hold out no hope of their being increased.
Does the Minister mean to convey to me that he has not fully investigated these cases? They are numerous all over the country and it is not a question of only one or two cases here and there. This whole rearrangement has caused considerable hardship and has thrown an enormous amount of additional work on the postmen, not in one or two places, but all over my constituency.
Is the Minister aware that this reorganisation has resulted in the services of contractors and drivers being dispensed with and that this has resulted in considerable hardship?
I am not aware of any hardship being caused to postmen through extra work being imposed upon them. If there is extra work, there is extra pay. If the Deputies have any particular cases in mind, they should communicate them to me and they will be examined. There are only four men in the Ballinasloe area with short service whose services have been dispensed with. In reply to Deputy Lehane, any contracts entered into were for short periods. We have our own mechanical section—our own motor cars.
I have in mind men who have had contracts with the Department for something like 15 years.
They were not employed by the Department, but by the contractors.
The Minister seems to have mistaken my question. He seems to be under the impression that it is only in the Ballinasloe area. I am not referring merely to that area. There are other places. I have in mind auxiliary postmen who have been doing work and this work has been increased. If the Minister takes up the file and looks up the Ballinamore Bridge area he will find one case, but there are numerous cases. The second portion of the question relates to men doing part-time work during holidays. I know of a man acting as an assistant at the moment and the auxiliary postman he replaces was getting £3 6s. 0d., while the man who is now doing his work is getting £2 1s. 7d.
Every temporary man receives 1/10½ per hour. Where there is extra work there is extra pay.