The Postmaster-General desires to make a statement with regard to the decision of the Government regarding findings of the Postal Commission.
THE POSTAL COMMISSION. - STATEMENT BY POSTMASTER-GENERAL.
The Report of the Postal Commission has been given the most careful consideration by the Government for many months past, and the Dáil will appreciate that in view of the serious state of the National finances it has been necessary to scrutinise the recommendations of the Commission very closely from the financial aspect, in view of the important alterations both of pay and of organisation put forward.
The main recommendations of the Commission affect the two important postal classes of Postmen and Sorting Clerks and Telegraphists, and a scheme of reorganisation is proposed under which the sorting work at present performed by the Sorting Clerks and Telegraphists will be transferred to certain members of the Postman Class.
In giving the Dáil the decisions of the Government on the Commission's recommendations, I should like to say at the outset that the reorganisation sanctioned by the Government will only apply in those offices where the volume of work justifies regrading, and in which it is estimated that the reorganisation can be effected without appreciable increase in staff expenditure.
I will take first the Postmen Class.
The Commission recommends that postmen be divided into two grades, Grade "A" and Grade "B"; Grade "B" to continue to do work similar to that already performed by Postmen, and Grade "A" to perform sorting and despatching work at present performed by Sorting Clerks and Telegraphists. This recommendation is accepted in principle for offices where the quantity of sorting work is sufficient to provide whole-time sorting work.
POSTMEN—GRADE B.
The Commission recommends that the maximum basic wages of Grade "B" Postmen be increased at Class I. Offices by 3/- to 43/- per week, i.e., basic wage carrying Civil Service Bonus, with pro rata increases for Class II. and Class III. Offices. The Government has given this recommendation very careful consideration, and it is unable to accept it. It is satisfied, after a perusal of the evidence, that the existing basic scales are fully adequate for the work at present performed by the existing grades. Where, therefore, work is not graded as higher work, the Government is unable to accept a recommendation to increase the present wage.
POSTMEN—GRADE A.
The Commission recommends that Postman Grade "A," performing sorting and despatching work, shall have a maximum of 52/- per week, plus bonus. The maximum suggested is too high, and the Government is unable to accept it. It proposes, instead, to adopt a maximum of 48/-, plus bonus, a week for Class I. Offices, the scale being the present scale, rising by increments of 1/6 per week from the present wages point of 39/-, plus bonus, per week, to the new maximum of 48/-, plus bonus, per week, with pro rata maxima and scales for Class II. and Class III. Offices.
I now come to the class of Sorting Clerk and Telegraphists.
The Commission recommends that the class at present known as S.C. and T. should in future be known as Post Office Assistants, who should perform all duties now discharged by the S.C. and T., except those recommended for transfer to Postmen.
The Commission further recommends that P.O. Assistants should undertake all P.O. Clerical work except that discharged by Executive Grades.
With regard to wages, the Commission recommends that P.O. Assistants should go to a maximum of £162 10s. Od., plus bonus, for males, and £110 for females, except in the case of assistants who shall have passed an efficiency test to be arranged by the Department with a view to proving their ability to discharge the highest clerical duties proper to the grade, who should go to £220 in the case of males, and £155 in the case of females.
The latter recommendation, which involves the payment of a State servant not by reference to the work on which he is employed, but by reference to the work which he is able to discharge, is one which the Government cannot possibly entertain. Nor can the Government accept the proposal that the work at Headquarter Offices should be performed by the manipulative classes, though the Government is prepared to provide a special avenue of promotion for these classes.
The Government has decided to absorb the Sorting Clerks and Telegraphists into a new class of Post Office Assistants of two Grades, Grade A and Grade B, one of which, Grade A, will be employed on the higher duties of the class, viz., counter duties, registered letter duties, and writing duties where the volume of work is such that full-time employment can be provided on these duties; the other Grade, Grade B, will perform the duties at present falling upon Sorting Clerks and Telegraphists, excepting in the case of larger offices, where the duties will be transferred to Postmen Grade A and Post Office Assistants, Grade A.
In the case of Post Office Assistants, Grade B, who will remain employed on their present duties, the Government is unable to authorise any increase of the present basic scales of pay, which are adequate.
In the case of Post Office Assistants, Grade A, who will be employed solely on the higher duties of the class, the Government proposes to adopt increased maxima of 70/- per week, plus bonus, for males, and 47/-, plus bonus, for females at Class I. Offices, to be reached by increments of 2/- in the case of males and 1/- in the case of females, after the present maxima have been reached. Pro rata maxima and incremental scales will be applied at Class II. and Class III. Offices.
The foregoing represents the Government's decisions on the main recommendations.
There are several points of detail and several minor recommendations of the Commission into which I need not now enter. The recruitment of all classes by competitive examination, with reservation of a percentage of vacancies for Postal Officials of junior grades, is a recommendation which the Government readily accepts. In particular, a percentage of the clerical posts in the Headquarter Offices will be reserved for competition confined to Post Office Assistants.
Mr. O'CONNELL
I would like to know whether, when the Postmaster-General speaks of the Government's decision in this circular, we are to understand he means the decision of the Executive Council, or the Government as a whole, or of the Postmaster-General, who is an External Minister responsible to this Dáil. Further, may I say, this is a very important statement of the Postmaster-General's. It deals with a Report presented to the Government twelve months ago, and which, as far as I know, has not yet been circulated or published, and I should like to ask whether we will be afforded an opportunity of discussing the statement of the Postmaster-General, which practically turns down in the main the unanimous recommendations of the Postal Commission.
It was hoped that the Report would be circulated in time for discussion before the Recess, but I am informed, by the Ceann Comhairle, that no opportunity can now be given before that date. What I would suggest is that Deputy O'Connell, who is, perhaps, more interested in this matter than any other member of the Dáil, would avail of an opportunity, immediately after the Recess, to open up a discussion of the whole subject, which would be a better way of dealing with it than piecemeal at this stage.
The Report of the Postmaster-General to the Dáil refers to the Report of the Postal Commission. The Report of the Postal Commission is not yet available to the Dáil. Will it be made available in the meantime?
Certainly, at once.
Mr. O'CONNELL
Can the Postmaster-General say, in the meantime, and as there is not an opportunity of discussing the Report, when the terms announced in his statement will be given effect to?
I take it it would be inadvisable to take anything for granted until the Dáil accepts the Report formally. The findings can be made retrospective, of course, covering this period.
Mr. O'CONNELL
Is the Postmaster-General in a position to answer the first question I put to him?
I think it would be more advisable that we should deal with the whole subject at the one time. I do not see any point in dealing with it in part only.