asked the Minister for Lands when he intends to pay the forestry workers in Tipperary the same increase in wages as was granted to the North Tipperary County Council workers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wages of Tipperary Forestry Workers.
I informed the House when introducing the Forestry Estimate last June that a new basic wage structure for forestry workers throughout the country had been introduced as a preliminary to the application of the new incentive bonus scheme. As a result of this change the wages of the forestry workers will no longer fluctuate from one county to another because of changes in the pattern of road-workers' wages.
In North Tipperary, the present road-workers' rate is 6/- per week higher than the national forestry basic wage, but forestry workers on incentive bonus will, of course, earn considerably more. Incentive bonus will be applied at Roscrea forest within the next few weeks and it will be extended to the other three forests in the area (Newport, Silvermines and Templederry) as rapidly as possible.
Is the Minister aware that North Tipperary County Council workers got the increase since last June and forestry workers in North Tipperary and East Galway got no increase since?
I understand the scheme is already applied in the Roscrea forest and I hope it will be in operation in all the forests in County Tipperary by December or January next.
Is the Minister not aware that those men will be done out of an increase for 12 months? Could the Minister implement it sooner?