asked the Minister for Transport and Power the losses to Bord na Móna from the strike of clerical employees.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bord na Móna Strike Losses.
16.
I am informed by Bord na Móna that it is not possible to place a financial figure on the effects of the strike of the clerical employees of the board.
Can the Minister state if the figure goes into tens of thousands? Is that a fact?
I have already told the Deputy that it would not be possible to estimate it. For example, the Board's sales commence later in the year and continue during the winter. The employment offered is seasonal. It would be very difficult to attribute the fact that the clerical employees were on strike to any particular change in the finances of the Board's operations. The Board are unable to say——
Surely any efficient organisation such as Bord na Móna must have sufficient clerical machinery at their disposal to know when there are losses and when there are profits? It must be simple for the Minister to ascertain, from a Board for which he is responsible, the financial losses involved in connection with the strike to which I refer. I do not accept for one moment that the figures of financial losses are not available. I am told that the losses to the Board as a result of this clerical strike are fantastic, and the ratepayers, taxpayers and other interested persons are entitled to know them.
I can assure the Deputy that the losses attributable to the strike are not fantastic. Let me illustrate the difficulty of the Board. There was no discernible effect on the total sales of the Board, but, then, these sales themselves vary, particularly in relation to weather. Therefore, it would be almost impossible to say with absolute certainty that a change in the value of sales was or was not effected to some degree by the strike. So far, there has been no discernible change in the sales that might be effected by the strike.
Would the Minister be able to hazard a guess? Is it a fact that the Board were in pocket as a result of the strike rather than out of pocket?
I would not be able to say.