asked the Minister for Defence if he can state whether the Fair Wages Clause inserted in contracts for Army supplies, and in the form of tender for such contracts, is in the same terms as those stated by the Minister for Finance, in reply to a question on April 27th, 1928; and whether, in particular, the clause inserted in the tenders for the contract for bread supplies for the Dublin District from the beginning of May was in those terms.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - FAIR WAGES CLAUSE.
The Fair Wages Clause inserted in tenders for Army supplies is as follows:—
"The contractor shall pay rates of wages and observe hours of labour not less favourable than those commonly recognised by employers and trade societies (or, in the absence of such recognised wages and hours, those which in practice prevail amongst good employers) in the trade in the district where the work is carried out. Where there are no such wages and hours recognised or prevailing in the district, those recognised or prevailing in the nearest district in which the general industrial circumstances are similar shall be adopted. Further, the conditions of employment generally accepted in the district in the trade concerned shall be taken into account in considering how far the terms of this clause are being observed. The contractor shall be prohibited from transferring or assigning directly or indirectly to any person or persons whatever any portion of his contract without the written permission of the Department. Sub-letting other than that which may be customary in the trade concerned shall be prohibited. The contractor shall be responsible for the observance of this clause by the sub-contractor."
This differs from the clause quoted by the Minister for Finance to the extent of omitting from the end of the second sentence the words "and for this purpose also regard shall be had to the conditions of employment generally in the contracting firm."
The clause inserted in tenders for bread supplies for the Dublin District from the beginning of May was in the terms I have just read out.
Is it a fact that the Army authorities have accepted a tender from Landy's Bakery, Rathfarnham, where there is a trade dispute in existence between Mr. Landy and the Bakers' Trade Union?
If the Deputy means by "accepting a tender," giving a contract, he is misinformed.