Vol. 443 No. 3
125 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if any minimum weekly or hourly rate has been set for kitchen porters in the city and county of Dublin; if so, the minimum rate set; if the city and county of Dublin are treated in any way differently from other counties and cities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Kitchen porters employed in hotels and catering establishments outside of the County Borough of Dublin — i.e. Dublin city — and the Borough of Dún Laoghaire — as it previously existed — are covered by the Employment Regulation Orders — EROs — in respect of the Hotels Joint Labour Committee and the Catering — excl. County Borough of Dublin and Borough of Dún Laoghaire — Joint Labour Committee. These orders lay down statutory minimum rates of pay and certain conditions of employment for the categories of workers covered by them in the areas where they apply. In addition a new Joint Labour Committee — JLC — covering catering establishments — excluding hotels — in Dublin city and Dún Laoghaire was established by the Labour Court, on the application of SIPTU, with effect from 27 November 1992. This committee is currently considering proposals for an employment regulation order. When these proposals are published and ratified by the Labour Court by making the required order, they will become legal minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment for the categories of catering workers covered in Dublin city and Dún Laoghaire. It will be a matter for the JLC to decide whether kitchen porters will be covered by the ERO.
Under the existing Catering ERO the full minimum rate of pay for a general worker, which includes kitchen porters, employed for at least 12 months is £141.23 per week without board or lodgings. In the case of the Hotels JLC the current minimum rates for general workers — which is taken to include kitchen porters — not receiving board or lodgings ranges from £87.60 per week at 18 years of age to £138.72 at 20 years and over.
Once an ERO is made for the new Catering JLC legal minimum rates of pay will apply to all catering establishments in the city and county of Dublin and to hotels in the county area. Joint Labour Committees are established by the Labour Court usually on the application of either the Irish Congress of Trade Unions or individual unions. It is a matter for the ICTU or individual unions to decide what geographical areas are to be covered when applying for the establishment of a new committee. JLCs generally cover areas or sectors where there is a low level of unionisation. The Hotels JLC was set up in 1965 on the application of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union — now part of SIPTU. They only sought to have a committee set up to cover areas outside Dublin city, Cork city and Dún Laoghaire.
