asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will introduce legislation to re-enact the repealed provisions of the Industrial Courts Act, 1919, so as to enable the Labour Court to investigate disputes regarding the wages and conditions of employment of agricultural workers employed by the State and drainage workers employed by the Office of Public Works.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Industrial Courts Act, 1919: Re-enactment of Repealed Provisions.
71.
I do not consider it necessary to introduce legislation which would enable the Labour Court to investigate the wages and other employment conditions of the workers in question.
Would the Minister consider it necessary to introduce some other type of legislation to enable these people to have their just wage claims considered, in view of the fact that some of them have now reached the bottom of the wage scale because the right of appeal to the Labour Court has been taken from them?
It is generally desirable that the State should not lead in the matter of wages, that wage rates should be fixed by agreement between employers in the private sector and employees, and that the remuneration of State workers should follow the rates voluntarily fixed.
Is the Minister aware that Board of Works rural labourers in particular follow the lowest rate in the area rather than the highest? Does he not consider that in their case, particularly, something should be done to get back to the situation that operated nine or ten years ago?