Vol. 504 No. 5
49 Mr. Hayes asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the discussions, if any, she had with FÁS concerning an ongoing dispute in relation to the rights of employees working in community training workshops to be represented by a trade union; the actions, if any, she has proposed to effectively resolve this dispute between SIPTU and FÁS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10079/99]
CTWs are voluntary bodies which provide community based training opportunities to socially or educationally disadvantaged young people. The workshops are under the control of management committees drawn from different sectors of the community. The management committees employ the staff in CTWs and are responsible for the terms and conditions of their employment.
FÁS's role is to provide funding for the payment of staff wages and for the payment of allowances to trainees.
While I do not have any direct function in relation to CTWs, my attention has been drawn to a number of specific structural and industrial relations issues which have arisen in relation to the CTWs.
When these matters were brought to my attention, I asked my officials to examine the situation. My officials have arranged to bring the relevant parties together with a view to resolving the issues as soon as possible.
