Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Workers' Conditions. – Dáil Éireann (19th Dáil) – Tuesday, 7 Nov 1972

Mr. Tully

asked the Taoiseach if he will furnish particulars of pay, hours of work and holidays for industrial workers and agricultural workers in the nine countries of the enlarged EEC in the form of a reply of 28th April, 1970.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach (Mr. Andrews)

With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement showing data on rates of earnings, hours worked and holidays for industrial workers in this country, the present EEC countries and the United Kingdom in so far as it is possible to derive them from official sources. It should be borne in mind that the validity of international comparisons of figures of this kind may be impaired by differences relating to coverage and scope. The overall average figures also reflect the structure of manufacturing industry which differs substantially between the different countries.

The use of official exchange rates in international comparisons is another factor which affects their meaningfulness; however a valid comparison of relative money values between different countries would require a very detailed investigation based on consumption patterns and relative prices for principal consumption items in the different countries.

Corresponding data for the agricultural sector, which are comparable between different countries, are not available.

Following is the statement:

I.—Average earnings per hour and average weekly hours worked by industrial workers in manufacturing industry in the EEC countries.

Country	Earnings per hour	Average hours worked per week	Period to which data relate
Males*	Females*	All industrial workers
	£	£	£	Number
Ireland	0.575	0.316	0.497	42.3	September 1971
Belgium	0.701	0.475	0.645	42.2	October 1971
France	0.526	0.397	0.489	44.6	September 1971
Germany (Federal Republic)	0.880	0.622	0.816	43.3	October 1971
Italy	0.514	0.391	0.479	42.1	October 1971
Luxembourg	0.840	0.483	0.817	43.6	October 1971
Netherlands	0.703	0.426	0.661	43.8	October 1971
United Kingdom	0.720(a)	0.421(b)	...	43.6(a)	October 1971
				37.5(b)

*Including juveniles. ...Not available (a) Adult males. (b) Adult females.

NOTES.

(1) Data for Belgium, France, Germany (Federal Republic), Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands are derived from report on Social Statistics, No. 1—1972, published by the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Data for the United Kingdom have been taken from the September 1972 issue of the Department of Employment Gazette.

(2) Particulars of earnings in non-sterling national currencies have been converted to sterling equivalents at the exchange rates current at the periods to which the data relate.

(3) Comparable figures for Denmark not available.

II.—Paid holidays for industrial workers in the EEC countries.

Country	Legal minimum	Minimum laid down by collective agreement	Public holidays	Total
	Days per year
Ireland	14 consecutive days	15 working days	6	16–21
Belgium	Three weeks	—	10	25–28
France	2 working days per month	24	8–10	32–34
Germany (Federal Republic)	15–18	16–24	10–13	25–37
Italy	—	13–21	17	30–38
Luxembourg	18–24	—	10	28–34
Netherlands	10–12	15–24	7	17–31
United Kingdom	—	generally 10:	6	16–21
		sometimes 15

NOTE.

Data for countries, other than Ireland, are derived from the EEC publication "The Common Market and the Common Man" (Third edition May 1971) and represent the situation in April 1970 for adult workers.

Mr. Tully

Surely the Parliamentary Secretary will allow us to draw our own conclusions from the information he gives us. Why does he say comparable figures are not available? Is he telling us that in the countries of the EEC no records are kept at all with reference to agriculture?

Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 7 Nov 1972