I welcome section 2. I have a case of a man who worked for 50 years; he worked temporary full-time for the South-Eastern Health Board for the past 20 years and at 85 years of age could not retire as a dental surgeon in the local hospital because he was not entitled to redundancy or pensions of any kind. He pre-dated the establishment of health boards. I had to go pleading to the health board to give him a few pounds to let him retire.
Worker Protection (Regular Part-Time Employees) Bill, 1990: Committee and Final Stages.
Amendment No. 1 not moved.
Section 1 agreed to.
SECTION 2.
Amendments Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, not moved.
Question proposed: "That section 2 stand part of the Bill."
Can a person be in and out of regular part-time work if he is a permanent employee going on short-time?
If the person is a full time employee working normal hours and then works eight hours or more for 13 consecutive weeks, he is regarded as a regular part-timer.
Is the period people are full-time used in calculating the 13 weeks or is the regular part-time calculated from the time they start on short time, on a two-day week?
If a person is full-time for the first quarter of the year and then for the next quarter works eight hours or more for 13 weeks they are regular part-time for that. If they go back to full-time working, they follow on on that.
I take it that what the Minister is saying is that the full-time employment is not part of the 13 week calculation? Therefore, for somebody who would have worked for eight months and had six weeks of short-time employment, that would not be calculated as part of his holiday under the Act?
If he has worked for eight months in any one year—he would be entitled to annual leave, and for his eight hours plus 13 weeks he will get his portion for that, which is six hours for every 100 hours worked.
Question put and agreed to.
Sections 3 to 8, inclusive, agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill reported without amendment and received for final consideration.
Question proposed: "That the Bill, do now pass."
We have had a very good debate since lunchtime today. I wish to thank all the Senators who put forward suggestions and proposals. I hope to be back in the House after the recess with amending legislation, perhaps amending Acts that go back to the 1750s dealing with the payment of wages.
I thank the House for their assistance and I thank Senator O'Reilly for withdrawing his amendments. I will forward the details to him. I think we have covered all the points and I thank the Senators who stayed throughout the debate today.
I thank the Minister for his attention and for being here throughout the day.
The Minister referred to some of the Senators who stayed in the House for the duration of the Bill. I reciprocate and thank him most sincerely for being with us throughout the day, as indeed he has in the past. He could have sent in a substitute but he did not. I compliment him on the fact that in an area as complex as industrial relations he brought all sides with him. I look forward to having him with us in the next session.
Question put and agreed to.
When is it proposed to sit again?
At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.