asked the Minister for Labour if he has requested the Labour Court to intervene in the dispute which has prevented the switching on of traffic lights in the Cork area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Traffic Lights.
6.
As the Minister indicated on 19th February, in reply to a previous question from the Deputy, this is an inter-union dispute and he is satisfied that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions are doing everything possible to settle the dispute through the procedures established by Congress. I have not requested the Labour Court to intervene.
I appreciate the Parliamentary Secretary's difficulty. He has almost repeated the answer the Minister gave on 19th February. Is the Parliamentary Secretary or the Minister aware of Press reports subsequent to that reply where the union official concerned with the dispute alleged that the Minister on that occasion had misled the Dáil in his reply?
The file I have here makes no reference to any such allegation. I am not sure which of the two unions involved the Deputy is talking about.
The union official concerned emphatically denied that the position was as the Minister stated. He alleged that the Minister had misled the House.
I am not sure to what union the Deputy is referring, whether it is the ITGWU the Deputy is talking about.
For the Parliamentary Secretary's information the union concerned is the ITGWU. I regard the reply as unsatisfactory.
I am sorry I have given the Deputy an unsatisfactory reply. I have a fair amount of information about the dispute here but it does not include anything about the allegation the Deputy mentioned. Even if the Minister had been here he would not have been able to add anything more.
I am sorry the Minister is not here.