asked the Minister for Labour whether he has any intention of altering the way in which Joint Labour Committees operate.
Written Answers. - Joint Labour Committees.
29.
Following on a commitment given in the Programme for National Recovery I have initiated discussions on industrial relations reform with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Federated Union of Employers. The discussions centre round a package of proposals I have put to both sides. Included in this package are a number of changes in the procedure govering the operation of joint labour committees.
The proposals which I have put forward on joint labour committees include having only one independent member on each committee to act as chairperson, an examination by assessors of an industry or trade covered by a committee and a number of procedural changes.
Discussions on the package with both sides are due to be completed by the end of April. In the light of the views of the ICTU and the FUE on the package of proposals, including those on joint labour committees, it is my intention to put proposals for legislation before Government at an early stage.