andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether, in order to avoid the serious implications of a CIE transport stoppage as a protest against the management's decision to introduce one-man buses, he will advise the management to withdraw the proposal for one-man buses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - CIE One-Man Buses Proposal.
21.
The reply to the Deputies' question is in the negative.
There appears to be some confusion on this issue. It has been suggested that the real issue involved here is the question of sickness benefit and a pension scheme and that if these matters were resolved, there would be no serious objection to the one-man bus. Could the Minister say whether this is so or not?
These matters were before the Labour Court. The Labour Court made recommendations and I have nothing to add.
They do not care if the whole nation is walking.
In view of the fact that a deadlock now appears to have arisen between the unions and the companies, does the Minister not feel that he should intervene at this stage, rather than wait until the damage has been done and when serious inconvenience has been caused?
These are management decisions. They are solely the function of the Board and I do not propose to intervene.
Apart from the functions of the Board, surely the Minister has a function on behalf of the public? Surely it is not the Board of CIE who will accept responsibility to this House for seeing that the public are not without transport for the next two or three months? As has been stated clearly, pension and other rights are a cause of grave concern to the workers in CIE and these have been an issue for four or five years. In spite of that, the Board of CIE——
That does not arise.
——have brought about this situation.
The Deputy is making a speech.
The situation is now that the Board will not agree to negotiate or have arbitration on these very important grievances of the employees. Is it not further a fact that the Board members themselves have their pension rights, that the higher members of the Board get a pension of £15 or £20 a week while the ordinary worker's pension is 12/-per week?
The Deputy is making a speech.
Deputies
Order.
It is a scandalous situation that the Government are not prepared to intervene on behalf of the workers and the public.
Order.
The Minister is like Commodore Vanderbilt.
The Chairman of CIE has demonstrated his incompetence to handle the difficult problems of CIE and he should be replaced.
Pensions of £15 to £20 a week for the big shots and 12/-for the workers.