asked the Minister for Labour what steps he is taking to find alternative employment for men being made redundant as a result of decasualisation of Dublin docks; what retraining scheme is being made available to these men; and what financial contribution the Government is making towards the decasualisation scheme apart from normal Redundancy Act payments.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Docks Decasualisation.
22.
The drawing up of a decasualisation scheme, acceptable to both parties, is at present the subject of negotiations between the stevedores and the dockers. It is not yet known what the outcome of these negotiations will be, or what financial arrangements, agreed between the parties, will emerge.
Before workers are disemployed on redundancy they are interviewed by placement officers of the National Manpower Service of the Department of Labour. These officers take full particulars of the workers' skills and employment experience and advise them of known vacancies and of vacancies likely to arise. In addition, the workers are informed of training courses with AnCO which would improve their employment prospects. AnCO is already in consultation with the employers on the question of retraining schemes for the men concerned.
Is the Minister in a position to state when the negotiations may be expected to lead to some conclusion?
I am afraid I cannot. It has been dragging on for a long time. It seems rather difficult to find an acceptable solution.