Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 31 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 7

Adjournment Debate. - Cork Industrial Dispute.

Mr. Martin

I thank the Minister for Enterprise and Employment for attending. I raise this issue to urge the Minister to make a direct appeal to the owners of the Early Learning Centre company in Cork to enter into negotiations with the workers' trade union representatives to resolve the dispute there which has continued since 6 December last. The seven workers involved have been on the picket line in severe weather conditions and made many sacrifices in pursuit of their claim for parity of esteem with similar workers in the retail sector in Cork. The workers involved are mature and have been with the company for more than six years.

As a frequent customer of the centre I can testify to the courtesy, competence and reliability of the workers involved who, by any standard, are very experienced personnel within the retail trade. The Early Learning Centre company insists on imposing a flat rate of pay on a worker irrespective of length of service which contrasts sharply with established practice in other retail stores in Cork city. For example, in the retail trade there is a six point incremental scale, agreed between the trade unions and IBEC. Consequently, the workers in the Early Learning Centre earn £2 less per hour than other retail workers with similar experience in the city. The workers involved have received only a 7p per hour increase since 1994. This is the claim the workers wish to pursue.

It is regrettable that the company has refused to go to the Labour Court and not accepted an invitation from the Labour Relations Commission to enter into talks. We have sophisticated and well developed industrial relations machinery. Its objective is to prevent disputes and to resolve them if they occur. The workers involved in this dispute have served the Early Learning Centre company extremely well. They are responsible people who have been treated badly. The company should respect their rights and acknowledge their contribution to its growth in Cork city over many years by entering into discussions with them.

We have had appalling weather over the last number of weeks, heavy flooding and below freezing temperatures. The workers braved the elements day by day, hour by hour, in pursuit of a principled objective. I appeal to the Minister to take a personal interest in the case and to make direct contact with the managing director of the Early Learning Centre company with a view to initiating talks that would lead to an amicable solution of this dispute.

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

I thank Deputy Martin for raising this issue and I appreciate his concern. It is regrettable that there should be an industrial dispute in the case of the Early Learning Centre's outlet in Cork. The Early Learning Centre is a British owned organisation which has a number of outlets in Ireland employing approximately 70 people. The outlets are mainly concerned with the retail of educational toys for young children. This dispute concerns the company's outlet in Cork where the trade union, Mandate, has six members.

The subject matter of this dispute relates to the union's claim for the application of local rates of pay to employees in the Cork outlet. However, the parties could not reach a mutually acceptable agreement on the issues involved and strike action was initiated by the union.

The resolution of an industrial dispute is ultimately a matter for the parties directly involved. I have made my view known that I do not regard it as appropriate for me to intervene directly in industrial disputes. However, the State assists parties to industrial disputes by providing dispute settling services, namely, the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court. These services which are provided on a voluntary basis are free of charge and offer the parties the most appropriate forum for resolving their disputes when they cannot be resolved through direct negotiations.

In relation to this dispute, I am aware that the parties took part in a conciliation conference convened by the Labour Relations Commission in December 1995. Unfortunately it was not possible to reach agreement at the conference and the industrial action continues. I am informed that the union, Mandate, has since requested that the dispute be referred to the Labour Court for investigation. However, the employer has declined a court investigation into the dispute. It would appear, therefore, that the matter is deadlocked unless the parties are prepared to compromise. As I already indicated, the services of both the commission and the court are available on a voluntary basis and it is for the parties themselves to decide whether to avail of them. I urge the employer and the union to make every effort to resolve their differences. I assure them the services of the commission and the court remain available to assist them to come to an agreement, thereby avoiding further disruption and hardship.