asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that employees of his Department who are engaged on underground cable-laying are paid the rate appropriate to local county council labourers and not the rate appropriate to civil engineering labourers, which appears to be proper to the work, and if he will take steps to remedy this position.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wages of Cable-laying Workers.
Casual labourers recruited by the engineering branch of my Department for underground cable-laying schemes perform ordinary unskilled labouring work for which the general local rate is payable. The skilled part of the work is undertaken by the regular departmental staff.
Is the Minister not aware that this work is exactly similar to that being done by men employed on work on water and sewerage schemes and that very often in the same area those men are paid at rates substantially higher than that paid to employees of the Post Office? Is he further aware that in one particular case where local men refused to do the job at the local council rate, the Post Office brought men 30 miles, paid them a subsistence allowance and a much higher rate because they were on the staff? Will the Minister reconsider the whole matter?
I will bring the Deputy's observations to the notice of the Minister.