I am not quite sure of what I am allowed to say at this stage, but I should like to say that while the Bill is welcomed for whatever improvement it may bring to a very restricted number of workers, it is very much to be regretted that the Minister did not take the opportunity to include the large number of agricultural workers who through the definition of "agricultural employer" in earlier Acts are denied the protection which these Acts afford.
I should like to ask the Minister if he can say if these agricultural workers who, because they work for nonagricultural employers, are denied the benefits of the Bill will be covered in any other way. Can the Minister say, for instance, if it is the intention that they should be covered by the Holidays (Employees) Act, 1961, as they are not covered by the exemption contained in Section (1) (b) of that Act?
In this age when the importance of our agricultural industry is being stressed more and more, it is deplorable that the workers in this industry are so badly treated and given so grudgingly the things that industrial workers have enjoyed for years. If we paused for a moment we could draw up a list of professions, occupations and callings that could be done without, but we would be a sad and sorry populace if we found ourselves in the position that our agricultural workers had disappeared from the countryside.
I would make an appeal to the Minister to examine the position and see if, by regulation or otherwise, he can remove the injustice to a large section of the workers in our most important industry.
I know there are very many of these workers who will be outside the scope of the Bill. Even the employees of the State farms are outside its scope because the Minister is not an agricultural employer. The State employees, however, suffer no hardship because at present they are covered by an agreement with a trade union but that might not always be the case. I would again ask the Minister to look into this very serious shortcoming in the Bill and to be generous to our fine workers in agriculture.