asked the Minister for Lands whether he is aware that Waterford County Council workers and forestry workers in the county had at one time equal rates of pay, and that forestry workers in the county now have lower wages than council workers; and whether he will increase the wages of forestry workers to that of the council workers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wages of Waterford Forestry Workers.
A new wage structure for forestry labourers was recently introduced as a basis for an incentive bonus scheme. The wages of forestry labourers will in future be determined on a national basis and will not, as formerly, be dependent upon local authority road-worker rates which vary appreciably from county to county.
The incentive bonus scheme will enable the forestry workers to earn appreciably more than the road-workers—even in counties where the road-workers' rates are high.
The incentive bonus scheme has already been brought fully into operation in some forests and it will be extended from forest to forest as rapidly as possible. Waterford is one of the counties scheduled for early application.
I am glad to be able to say that this new scheme, which has been adopted on the recommendations of a firm of industrial consultants and will be of great benefit to the country, as well as to the workers, has the full backing of the trade unions concerned.
Is the Minister aware that forestry workers are receiving only £5 4s. a week? A man receiving £5 4s. a week would not have enough money to buy proper food to give him the energy to put in overtime or have an added incentive to do more work, more especially when he can see county council workers alongside him earning more money. Therefore, I ask the Minister to consider bringing the wages of forestry workers up to those of the county council workers wherever the wages of county council workers are higher than those of forestry workers.
I have already answered the Deputy. The forestry workers' basic rate has been raised to 110s., effective from 4th January, 1958. The county council workers' rate is 114/-. The incentive bonus scheme is being applied at a very early stage to Waterford and if the workers show a reasonable productivity, they should be able to earn an additional 32/- a week.
Fair enough.