Following the completion of an inquiry into an application by the Irish Distributive and Administrative Trade Union and the Irish National Union of Vintners, Grocers and Allied Trades Assistants, the Labour Court made an Establishment Order setting up a Joint Labour Committee for the Retail, Grocery and Allied Trades, with effect from 2 April 1991. The Labour Court has sought nominations for appointment to the committee from the trade unions and employer bodies, and I am in the process of appointing an independent chairman.
Once established, the committee will draw up proposals for fixing rates of pay and the conditions of employment for the workers concerned and when these proposals have been ratified by the Labour Court through the making of an Employment Regulation Order they become statutory minimum pay and statutory conditions of employment for the workers concerned. It is estimated that there are 28,000 workers employed in the sectors covered by the new Joint Labour Committee.