asked the Minister for Finance when he proposes to sanction increased wages and to grant service pay and increased holidays to the drainage workers in the Office of Public Works.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Board of Works Drainage Employees.
26.
The working week of all drainage workers has been reduced by 2½ hours to 42½ hours as from 1st April, 1968. An increase of 15/- a week as from the 1st April, 1968, has been granted to the main body of the workers.
Drainage workers could not be considered for concessions in the matter of service pay or increased annual holidays in isolation from the main body of State workers.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that, first of all, there was no reference to a reduced working week in my question and secondly, that the 15/- a week increase to which he refers has been granted to the men through the trade union on condition that in future they will be prepared to accept the Agricultural Wages Board as the norm by which their wages would be fixed, and that the trade union have refused to accept that, particularly in view of the fact that the Minister for Agriculture announced a few days ago that he proposed to change the Agricultural Wages Board system completely? Would the Minister not agree that since the wages of Board of Works employees were changed from those of agricultural workers many years ago it would be a retrograde step to go back to them now and would he ask the Office to have the matter considered?
Deputy Tully seems to be raising a number of different questions, but I think he will understand that, as the reply stated, this particular class of workers cannot be treated in isolation from all other State workers.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary is aware that the general body of local authority employees in the same categories have received an increase of £1 a week, effective from 1st April, together with service pay which amounts to about another £1 a week in most cases? His Department have offered 15/-. Surely he is not serious?
We are talking about State workers.
We were talking about workers and you want some way of fixing their wages, and you are not going to do it by tying it to that of farm workers.
We must have an arrangement in respect of all State workers together.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that his Department have, on their own, offered an increase of 15/-? He is not being consistent. If they have offered 15/-, the others have not yet made a decision. How can he then say that they must all be fixed together when he has offered the very lowest amount he thinks would be accepted by these people?
As the Deputy said, or seemed to say, the offer is not being accepted.
That is quite correct.
Then it would appear that we are back in Square One again?
Yes.
I see.