asked the Minister for Labour if he considers that industrial and agricultural workers should be treated as equals in so far as future national wage negotiations are concerned.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Wages.
36.
I would like to see a situation wherein agricultural workers would receive increases in wages in line with those of industrial workers and I have had discussions on this matter with the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. The machinery whereby the wages of agricultural workers are arranged is at present under active consideration and it should be possible shortly to have a joint labour committee established for agricultural workers.
Has there been any action taken to ensure that agricultural workers can participate in national wage agreements in full? Up to date they have been left short.
The new machinery which the Minister for agriculture and Fisheries has announced it is his intention to set up will ensure, I am reasonably confident, that the long-standing injustice under which farm workers of this country have suffered will be ended.
Can the Minister give us any indication when his colleague will announce the new proposals to cover agricultural workers? The Minister has been there for about two years and we have had nothing from him.
The announcement will be made shortly and it will remedy the situation whereby, under the old board, agricultural workers were discriminated against for many years.
Would the Minister not agree that in his two years in office he has failed to help the agricultural worker?
We are getting into the area of argument.
The facts speak for themselves. We had a situation where nothing was done. Now something is being done and I am glad to see that Members of the Opposition are becoming aware of the years of neglect——
May I ask the Minister's colleague——
This is not in order.
I am reminded of Fianna Fáil's 30 years of neglect.