asked the Minister for Labour whether factory inspectors when visiting workshops include in their inquiries the progress of the local safety committees; and whether any register is kept of existing safety committees.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Factory Safety Committees.
29.
Mr. O'Leary
The answer to the first part of the question is "yes".
While the Factories Act, 1955, does not require a register of safety committees to be kept, a record is compiled from the reports of the factory inspectors. According to that record, 87 safety committees have been established under the provisions of the Act. This represents an increase of 30 within the past year.
Mr. O'Leary
Is this information passed to trade union organisations in these factories? Is any such information as regards the number of safety committees established conveyed to the trade unions? What I am chiefly concerned with is that the number of safety committees should be increased and I believe that if such information about the number of committees were passed on to the trade unions, co-operation in their formation would be forthcoming.
The information is available, of course, in the published reports. I assume the Deputy wants me to take the initiative in passing it on?
Mr. O'Leary
Yes.
I think the initiative lies with the workers in setting up safety committees and the inspectors are asked to encourage them.
Mr. O'Leary
The complaint we hear is that many managements are dragging their feet in the formation of safety committees.
The initiative is with the workers, not with the management. If I had any evidence of the management obstructing, I could take action, but the initiative under the Act is with the workers.
Should it not be with the management?
Surely the workers should be concerned for their own safety? There are regulations and laws which the employers must obey, and if they are in breach of these regulations, they will be prosecuted. But it is essential to have the co-operation of the workers and the only way to get these committees formed is through the workers' representatives accepting this responsibility.
Surely the Minister must realise that a considerable number of workers, if not the majority, do not know the position——
This is becoming an argument, not a question.
Surely the Deputy would accept some responsibility on his part to make the workers aware of the position?
It should be a mutual responsibility.
The inspectors will stimulate the formation of safety committees as much as possible.
It is purposeless to set up safety committees if they are ignored by factory inspectors and they are invariably ignored when the inspectors visit the factories.
No.
They are.
If the Deputy can give me information to substantiate this, I shall look into it because inspectors are asked to encourage the formation of these committees in every possible way.
Will the Minister see that the inspectors call on representatives of the safety committees when they visit the factories? Will he give us that assurance?
I shall make inquiries to see if there is any way in which inspectors could further stimulate formation of these committees but I would emphasise to the representatives of the workers that the initiative lies with them.