The House will now hear a one minute statement from Deputy Finucane on a matter appropriate to the Minister for Labour.
Adjournment Debate. - Labour Matter.
I thank the Minister for Labour for being present to hear my query which concerns a company in my area, McCormack's Joinery. They are a long established joinery company and recently they were subject to a management change. However, last year, 16 of the workers decided to join a trade union because they were concerned about redundancies over a period of time and the failure of the company to pay the national wage agreement.
When the workers joined a union the company refused to negotiate with the trade union on the basis of the existing national wage agreements. The company, subsequently, decided to have direct discussions with the employees and stated that they were prepared to pay 10 per cent in 1991 and 1992 if they would waive their claim in relation to the two previous years, 1988 and 1989, under the previous agreement. The workers were not prepared to accede to that request and they asked management to again have discussions with the unions.
All attempts over a period of time in relation to these discussions have failed. The workers are in a desperate dilemma because a picket has not been placed since the dispute started after Christmas but they are now practically locked out. They were prepared to go back to work to allow normal discussions to take place on the national wage agreements over the two years for which they had not been paid. However, the management refused to do this.
When the workers went to the labour exchange they were told they were not entitled to any social welfare payments because they had been locked out. Several of them, who were married, had to rely on the health board to give them a supplementary welfare allowance to help them to subsist. Many of them had mortgages, they are in a terrible dilemma and, in view of the developments in the labour area in recent times, I hope that the Minister will use his good offices to initiate some sort of movement in relation to this issue.
I acknowledge and appreciate Deputy Finucane's concern and interest in this dispute. It started in the middle of last December and involves about 26 workers. Last year, as the Deputy outlined, some of the employees joined a trade union and the problem arose over union recognition and a number of other outstanding issues. I can well understand the hardship that this dispute is causing to the families involved and in the facts were outlined correctly by the Deputy.
I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that the Labour Court hearing took place on 30 January and the issue of a recommendation is imminent. I am hopeful that the involvement of the Labour Court and the hearing — and the recommendation which will be issued shortly — will be of help in resolving the dispute. If it is not successful I will have to examine the matter again but I am hopeful that a considered Labour Court recommendation on the resolution of the dispute will work.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.35 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 19 February 1991.