asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if the employment of the sixty telephonists at Bantry Exchange, County Cork will be affected after it goes automatic.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bantry (County Cork) Telephonists Employment.
7.
It was the intention to close Bantry manual exchange once all the exchanges in the group had been converted to automatic working, and to provide all operator services from Cork. However, having reviewed the position generally in regard to the number of operator centres planned under fully automatic conditions nationally, it has been decided to retain operator services in Bantry on an interim basis to deal with calls in the area needing operator assistance.
The volume of operator assisted traffic to be handled at Bantry exchange when the exchanges in the area are converted to automatic working will, of course, be greatly reduced and there will, therefore, be a substantial reduction in the number of operating staff to be employed there. The number will, however, be maintained at a level sufficient to ensure a good operator service.
Employment at other exchanges will be available for full-time day staff who opt to transfer. Arrangements which will apply to other staff have been agreed on a national basis with the staff organisations concerned.
Is the Minister aware that the present Taoiseach gave an undertaking to the people of Bantry during the election that all of the operators would be retained in the exchange and that none of them would have to seek employment elsewhere or go to any other part of the services of the Post Office, and that this is another of the broken promises? Will the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs endeavour to implement the promise given by the Taoiseach and ensure that the 61 girls who are operating the telephone exchange in Bantry will be left to work there?
I have indicated to the Deputy what the position is with regard to the conversion of Bantry manual exchange to automatic working and how that will affect the staff. The promise to which the Deputy refers is an alleged promise because it was not made.
It was. It is on tape.
I understand that the promise was made in the context that the action group had been assured earlier by the then Minister of State, Deputy Killilea, that he had plans within his Department for alternative employment for the operators in the Bantry area and on the basis of that Departmental plans were made which could have enabled them to be employed locally. The Taoiseach indicated that he would be prepared to implement those plans. However, I have discovered that no such plans existed.
(Interruptions.)
Another allegation has been made against me. Is the Minister aware that talks were held in the Department last spring or thereabouts in which it was suggested that staff in such exchanges might be asked to do alternative work in their district? What has happened to those plans?
Earlier the Deputy asked me to make a distinction between allegations and complaints which I found difficult to do, but I can make a clear distinction between talks and plans.
Is the Minister aware that on the Tuesday of the week before last the Minister of State, Deputy O'Keeffe, stated in The Cork Examiner emphatically and categorically that arrangements had been made with the Minister, Deputy Cooney, and the Minister of State, Deputy Harte, for the retention of the 10 semi-automatic exchanges in Bantry, and that that was contrary to what Deputy Killilea told the delegation who came from Bantry to him previously? Would he please work out where the complications seem to be arising within his Department and within his party as to what one may claim vis-à-vis the other?
I regret to say that I have not read the statement concerned——
The Minister should.
——and without reading it I can hardly accept Deputy Killilea's paraphrase as accurate. What I said in reply to the question is that on an interim basis operator service will be retained in Bantry.
On an interim basis?
(Interruptions.)
I have asked only one supplementary.
I am sorry, Deputy. We have 650 questions on the Order Paper.
(Interruptions.)