Vol. 566 No. 1
214 Mr. Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the situation in regard to the industrial dispute by staff in the local offices of the Department of Agriculture and Food; if this dispute is near settlement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12200/03]
219 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the steps he is taking to ensure that the dispute of clerical workers in his Department is resolved, including those from Davitt House, Castlebar; if his attention has been drawn to the legitimate claims of the striking workers and the continuing hardship inflicted on the strikers and their families, on the general livestock trade and on the farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12207/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 219 together.
CPSU members in my Department's local offices have engaged in industrial action since 18 March 2003. Initially, the action taken was a ban on telephone-fax queries and since 25 March this escalated to include the non-performance of counter duties in the afternoons.
The CPSU had divided the country into four regions and the industrial action was to rotate between the regions on a weekly basis. As the action taken constituted a refusal to perform their core duties, my Department had no option but to remove staff from the payroll in the region undertaking the action.
To date, 257 CPSU members have been removed from the payroll. This includes 36 non-local office CPSU members who refused to pass the pickets on our offices. The decision to remove staff from the payroll was not taken lightly. The union members had decided not to perform normal duties arising from phone calls and faxes and duties at reception desks. The services provided from our local offices are essential to the farming community, in particular in the context of cattle movements to factories and marts as well as the various direct payments to farmers.
Following on the decision to remove staff from the payroll my Department was advised that with effect from 3 April, CPSU members would be picketing the offices which were the subject of industrial action for that week, Mayo, Galway, Kerry and Limerick and Clonakilty since 28 April.
The union are demanding an increase in the number of posts in the staff officer and executive officer grades. The union demand is a cost increasing claim under the social partnership agreement. These agreements specifically preclude such claims and any form of industrial action. Officials from my Department met on 2 April with CPSU representatives but unfortunately no basis for a settlement emerged from this meeting.
215 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will intervene on a behalf of a person (details supplied) to ensure that the necessary documentation is instantly released from his Department to ensure that applicant can sell their animals. [12201/03]
The difficulty in having the necessary documentation released is due to an industrial dispute in the district veterinary office concerned.
I regret that this dispute is inconveniencing farmers such as the person indicated. However, I can assure the Deputy that I am most anxious to have the dispute resolved, so as to restore as quickly as possible the Department's normal service to farmers in the areas concerned.
