asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware of the serious situation which may arise from the threatened strike of the Post Office Engineering Union with consequent failure to maintain the telephone service in proper working order; and what steps he proposes to take to minimise the inconveniences to essential services, trade, business and the public generally resulting therefrom.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Post Office Dispute.
80.
I am fully aware of the serious situation that would arise if the threatened strike should take place. I can assure the Deputy that everything possible would be done to minimise the inconvenience to the public and especially to essential services but I do not consider it expedient to give particulars at this stage of the measures planned. Announcements will be made in due course if the need arises.
In view of the seriousness of the position, I think it right to inform the House of the background. Since early January the Irish Post Office Engineering Union have been pursuing a campaign of obstruction in support of wages claims and in consequence many telephone subscribers have suffered serious delay in having faults on their telephones repaired and many people on the waiting list who should have got telephones have been kept waiting.
The union in common with the other Civil Service Staff Associations are parties to the agreement with the Minister for Finance which established the scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for the Civil Service. That scheme provides a peaceful, orderly, and fair way of resolving disputes between the staff associations and the Administration, and it has brought immense benefits to the Civil Service, including the members of the Irish Post Office Engineering Union. That union decided, however, on this occasion to use other measures to gain their ends. Their claims were discussed at the Conciliation Council but agreement could not be reached. The next step for the union under the agreed scheme would be to lodge the claims for hearing by the Arbitration Board but this they have not yet done although the disagreement on the main claims was reached last September. The union have openly stated that the object of their campaign is to make the shoe pinch on telephone users and to embarrass the Government, the Minister and the public so that when they bring their claims to Arbitration an atmosphere will have been created in which the Arbitration Board will give them a favourable award.
Despite the serious inconvenience being caused to telephone users, I delayed as long as possible taking any action against the men who were engaged in this campaign in the hope that they would abandon it. In further efforts to settle the matter I had three meetings with union representatives early this month but they remained adamant in their refusal to return to normal working and to submit their claims to Arbitration. Instead they informed me that it was their intention not merely to continue but to intensify their campaign. In the end I was obliged to warn them that if they persisted it would be necessary to take action against men refusing to do their work. The union continued to campaign. Since the 15th March a total of 29 men have been suspended for refusal to obey instructions and 77 other men withdrew their labour.
I want to use this opportunity to make absolutely clear to the union and the men that the Government will not tolerate the situation in which they are attempting to secure their ends by hitting out at the nation and interfering with a vital national service. Civil servants have duties as well as privileges and one of them is to refrain from activities of this sort. There will be no question of the Government yielding to such tactics. The way is still open to the union to have their claims dealt with in an orderly way by the agreed machinery of Arbitration and I strongly advise them to abandon at once their ill-judged campaign and follow the agreed procedure before creating very grave difficulties for themselves and their members.
I do not wish and I am not pressing the Minister for any details as to what he proposes to do in connection with vital services but, in the public interest, I am glad to hear that vital services, namely, hospital, fire bridage and Garda services, and certain things like that, will be maintained as far as the Minister can do so in the event of a strike.
As I have stated in the reply, we will take every possible action to minimise the difficulties, particularly in relation to these vital services to which the Deputy refers.