asked the Minister for Education whether attendants at the National Museum are required to work on Sundays; and if so, if he will state their extra rate of pay per hour for Sunday work, over and above the ordinary week-day rate.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Museum Attendants.
Some of the attendants in the museum are required by the conditions of their appointment to undertake what is called Sunday duty, and a number of other attendants who are not required to do so volunteer for this duty. Sunday duty consists in the supervision of the collections during the period of three hours on Sunday afternoons in the portion of the museum which is open to the public; one attendant also remains in the museum, for periods of four hours at a time, on Sundays when the museum is not open to the public. The additional payment for this Sunday duty is not reckoned on an hourly basis; an inclusive sum is paid for the period of duty (whether of three or four hours): 5/3 for an unestablished attendant, 6/9 for an established attendant, and 8/5 for the attendant in charge.
The duties which attendants carry out on Sundays are the minimum considered necessary for the safety of the collections and do not include all the duties they are required to perform on week-days.
Attendants are paid for their ordinary work on a weekly and not an hourly basis; the incremental scales of pay for unestablished attendants are from £3 10s. 0d. to £4 7s. 8d. a week, and for established attendants from £4 9s. 9d. to £5 10s. 7d. a week. Duty is at present based on a minimum weekly attendance of 44 hours, with liability to attend up to 48 hours a week without extra remuneration. As there are 16 attendants employed on Sunday duty at present, and as the estimated week-day rate of pay of each attendant varies with his grading and length of service, it is not possible to give a definite reply to the last part of the question.
Could the Minister state whether the amount paid for Sundays is less than the amount they would be paid on weekdays for the same period?
I believe it is in some cases.
Is it not the customary State practice to pay rate and a half for any work on Sunday? Is the Minister aware that that practice is observed in every other Department and will he state why this specially low rate is paid to attendants in the museum?
The matter is being examined.
Will you do something about it?
The Minister will look into that aspect of the matter?
Yes.