Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1980 > Committee on Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies > Report No. 13 - Comhlucht SiÚicre Éireann, Teoranta

APPENDIX 7

LETTER TO CLERK TO JOINT COMMITTEE FROM IRISH TRANSPORT & GENERAL WORKERS’ UNION

We refer to press reports of recent meeting of the Joint Committee with reference to the operations of C.S.E.T.

As the major Union in this employment, we feel it necessary to make the following comments:—

1. Our members in each of the Company’s locations do not accept submissions made by one of the parties to the Committee whereby it was implied that redundancies would be acceptable in given circumstances. On the contrary, it is our view that the Sugar Company provides an economic and social service to this country and, therefore, we do not subscribe to the concept of a modification of the Company’s operations.

2. As the Committee is aware, the Company’s operations have two primary functions apart from agriculture ancillary services—firstly to manufacture sugar and secondly to contribute to the Irish food processing industry. In the former connection, we have strenuously opposed any attempt by the EEC to reduce the Irish Sugar Quota on both social and economic grounds. In relation to the food processing side, we believe that, with adequate finance and marketing, food processing can generate additional employment as well as enhancing our country’s balance of payments position.

In view of the foregoing, therefore, we trust that your Committee will take into account the views of the vast majority of employees in C.S.E.T.

Yours sincerely,

25th June 1980

Edmund D. Browne,

National Group Secretary.