asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs how temporary Christmas postal workers are employed; and whether people who are not registered as unemployed are allocated to this work in preference to people who are registered.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Christmas Postal Workers.
128.
Temporary staff required for Christmas postal traffic are selected from persons registered for such work at employment exchanges. Unemployed men are given preference for employment provided they are suitable.
The Minister no doubt is aware of the fact that this question is asked every year as many people on the register of employment exchanges who apply every year are apparently not engaged. The Minister's reply-that men are employed if they "are suitable" is a very vague one. A number of men on the employment exchange register are excluded every year. They never get the opportunity for this work and it is a great pity they are not considered for it.
The House will appreciate that the type of work those people are recruited for is handling postal packets. It is understandable in all cases where we take on people in relation to this type of work that there must of necessity be contacts and inquiries made with the gardaí in order to ensure that mistakes are kept to the minimum. The people registered on the unemployment list are given preference for employment, as I have stated in the reply.
Would the Minister agree in all cases recommendations are sought for anybody applying for those jobs?
Yes.
We as public representatives are constantly asked to recommend some of those people. Is that not right?
No. Departmentally, we do not ask public representatives.
Our names are often given.
When a person makes an application for temporary employment he is asked to give references and he gives the names of two reputable individuals who may be checked with. This means that the post office check with the two people who have been given as referees and they also check with the gardaí.
Would the Minister have any information of the number on the permanent register of unemployed who are rejected every year? This matter arises every year and that is why I asked this question.
I have not got figures of that nature but I can say in Dublin the number of unemployed men seeking temporary work at Christmas has been decreasing steadily over the past few years. In 1959, for example, there were about 2,600 unemployed men seeking Christmas work compared with 927 in 1964 and 671 in 1968, which in its own way proves the point that has already been made today by the Minister for Industry and Commerce and the Minister for Labour.
Those people have not been employed on a number of occasions. When they despaired of getting a job they did not apply again. Out of over 20,000 unemployed in Dublin only 200 applied for jobs.
Can the Minister say how soon the applicants are notified they will be accepted or not? This is a very important matter. Those people have to wait until the week before Christmas to know whether they will get an answer to their application or not. This happens every year. Those applicants for posts as temporary postmen have to wait for a reply up to Christmas week.
As the Deputy may be aware, it is an extraordinary thing about people that they wait until the last week before Christmas to make use of the postal service. We do not want to take on people at the beginning of November in anticipation of employing them one week before Christmas.
Does the Minister not notify them earlier?
If we were sure of the volume of postal traffic we would do so.
Surely from experience during the years, the Department would have a good idea of the volume of traffic? Surely they would be able to forecast the number of temporary employees required? Surely they would be able to notify applicants in advance as to whether they would be accepted for temporary employment?
I do not accept that. We notify them as early as possible as to when we want them.
Therefore, they have to sit and wait.
The Deputy has told me they have been sitting and waiting for ten years.
I suppose it does not make any difference to the Minister. It makes a lot of difference to the person trying to find the price of a Christmas dinner for his family.
I cannot see what advantage it would be to a person at the beginning of November to learn what he will get at the end of December. He knows what he is looking for each week when he goes to the employment exchange.