asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will personally intervene in an effort to settle the industrial dispute by agricultural officers which is affecting four meat plants at Tralee, Charleville, Mitchelstown and Rathdowney and which threatens to escalate to affect the industry nationwide.
Private Notice Question. - Agricultural Officers' Industrial Dispute.
I very much regret the inconvenience caused to the industry at this time due to the action taken by IMPACT members. Every effort is being made in conjunction with our veterinary staff to maintain service to the industry. This is essential to ensure the continuation of our exports and to protect the jobs of workers employed in this vital industry. My Department is closely monitoring the situation in consultation with the industry and is available at all times for discussions with a view to resolving this dispute.
The Tribunal of Inquiry into the Beef Industry highlighted the abuses that were frequently taking place because of inadequate staffing in the meat plants. With the agricultural officers on strike in these four plants, and quite likely to go on strike in all plants nationwide, is there not a likelihood that we will have a repetition of the wholesale abuse of the system in the meat factories? Is it not possible that again we will have our knuckles rapped by the European Commission for dereliction of duty in this most important sector?
This dispute has arisen because earlier this year the Department in an effort to curtail the ever-increasing expenditure on overtime in meat factories introduced budgets at regional and factory level. The problem we have today arises from this. Deputy Deasy's comments are somewhat dramatic, to say the least, at this point.
Not a bit.
The dispute happened yesterday and is affecting four plants. So far the factories have been able to conduct their business in spite of the industrial action. We are in constant contact with the factories to ensure that that situation will continue. There are mechanisms to resolve disputes such as this and I appeal to people to use those mechanisms.
Will the Minister intervene in an effort to resolve the dispute? It was quite outrageous for the Minister to state that I was being dramatic when the whole country was horrified by the extent of the abuse which was highlighted at the Beef Tribunal. This was largely due to a lack of supervision and as a result of this strike there will be no supervision. Previously it was inadequate but now it does not exist at all. What is dramatic about stating the facts? People were horrified by the abuse and will not accept this kind of answer from the Government. Surely it is not too much to ask the Minister to intervene.
Over a period the system and the checking procedures inside the factory would have improved greatly and I am sure the Deputy is aware of that. The dispute commenced yesterday and it is not my intention to intervene. Once again I appeal to the parties to use the industrial relations mechanisms.
This is not the first time that this situation has arisen. Would the Minister accept that there has been a problem with regard to the conditions relating to agricultural officers for some time? I raised this matter a considerable number of months ago and I understand that the Department was looking at this very closely. I thought there would have been a report on how the matter could be resolved. This is very disturbing news. Does the Minister recognise that he bears a certain responsibility for the fact that we have a strike in four meat plants?
The agricultural officers threatened industrial action and on 22 April last an agreement was drawn up between the Department and IMPACT. In practice, some agricultural officers have interpreted this agreement to mean that they can determine the working levels and the number of hours of overtime. The Department could not accept that. In the agreement reached with IMPACT, it was accepted that the veterinary inspector in charge at each meat plant would determine the level of overtime necessary. IMPACT is relying on another clause of the agreement which stated that the staff in attendance would be in accordance with custom and practice. There are mechanisms through which disputes can be resolved and I ask that those mechanisms be used.
Would the Minister of State accept that he is being a bit disingenuous in harping on the fact that the strike only started yesterday? Will he not accept from what he has just said that it is clear that the roots of this problem go back several months and that it was a ham fisted effort by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to put arbitrary limits on overtime that created this problem? Does he agree that it has been very clear for some months past that every meat factory in the country has had difficulty in meeting its killing and production schedules because of the way the Department has introduced these overtime restrictions? Will he reconsider his manner of dealing with this issue and not adopt this flagrantly confrontational method of controlling expenditure?
The agreement reached last April also provided for an in-depth study of various aspects of other services in the meat factories. To date we have only commenced the preliminary work on this but we are committed to bringing it to a conclusion at an early stage. Before implementing any new arrangements we would, of course, consult the union, IMPACT, and other interested parties including the industry and the veterinary union.