Question No. 43 on yesterday's Order Paper was:
"To ask the Minister for Finance if he will state when the increased rates of pay approved and granted by his predecessor to workers employed on the Brosna drainage scheme will be paid and the cause of the delay in having the increase paid to the workers concerned."
The Minister in his reply stated:
"I am not aware that any increase in the pay of workers employed on the Brosna drainage scheme was approved by my predecessor. I may add, however, that the matter is under consideration and I hope to be able to announce my decision shortly."
This is the meanest and lowest trick played in this House by the Minister for Finance in a long time. The Minister knows quite well from the records before him from the Board of Works that the board was unanimous in recommending an increase to the workers to whom I refer. He is right in saying that the increase was not granted by his predecessor, his predecessor being Deputy McGilligan, but the workers, accompanied by Deputies representing the constituency of Leix-Offaly met the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance, then Deputy Donnellan, and the board, and it was agreed by the Parliamentary Secretary and the Board and submitted to the Minister for Finance for his approval, that the rates of pay for the workers on the Brosna drainage scheme and other similar schemes should be increased with the least possible delay. The then Parliamentary Secretary made a statement in this House in which he invited the workers' representatives to discuss their grievances and conditions of employment at any time they thought it desirable to draw the attention of his Department to those grievances. The workers on the Brosna scheme very happily availed of the invitation the Parliamentary Secretary gave.
The case was put forward by the groups of workers themselves, fitters, labourers, drivers, etc. Their case was so genuine and their grievances so real that the board were unanimous in recommending an increase, but now the Minister comes along and tells us that the matter is under consideration. Deputy Donnellan, as Parliamentary Secretary, recommended that increase and the board were unanimous in their recommendation. I accuse the Minister for Finance now of attempting to sabotage the good work done by the previous administration for the workers concerned. The workers on that occasion would have felt very grateful for an all-round increase of 2d. per hour. I believe that the board were sympathetic to that request and that the Parliamentary Secretary was prepared to co-operate.