Vol. 422 No. 5
177 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Labour if he will take the necessary steps to extend the legally established minimum wage for the catering industry to the Dublin metropolitan area in view of the large number of young catering workers in the city and allegations that young workers are being exploited; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Catering Joint Labour Committee established in 1977 does not cover catering workers in the County Borough of Dublin and the Borough of Dún Laoghaire. Last year SIPTU applied to the Labour Court to extend the scope of the Catering JLC to include those areas. The court, having conducted an inquiry, decided to reject the application on the grounds that it considered that the extension of the Catering JLC and its associated Employment Regulation Order was not the appropriate mechanism to provide safeguards for catering workers in the two areas concerned. I understand that the Catering JLC is at present examining the position in the light of the court's decision.
