asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will ensure that in recruiting men for Christmas postal work preference will be given to married men with families to support.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Christmas Postal Work.
47.
Temporary staff required for Christmas postal traffic are selected from persons registered for such work at employment exchanges. Married men with families are given preference for employment provided they are suitable.
Is the Minister aware of the great disappointment felt in recent years by many married men with dependants that the larger proportion of those recruited at Christmas time appear to come from single people, many of whom are university graduates looking for pocket money, and that the effect of this is to deprive many homes of a little comfort that could come their way if the married men were engaged on the Christmas post?
In 1959, some 2,600 unemployed men were seeking Christmas work through the Post Office as compared with 927 in 1964. They expect it to be much less this year. I can assure the Deputy that all suitable persons signing on at the employment exchange will be employed by the Department.
They have emigrated since—300,000 have left in six years.
They would not be sufficient for the needs of the Department and they would have to go outside to get the full requirements.
The Department will take them, short of illiteracy or total physical incapacity?
All suitable persons, and the officers in the Department will decide on their suitability.
There should not be standards that are unreasonably high.