Fianna Fáil TD Dr Patrick Hillery is appointed minister at the newly formed Department of Labour.
The new Department of Labour replacing the Department of Industry and Commerce has been tasked with kick starting a struggling economy.
Patrick Hillery outlines the challenges faced by his department and how he plans to deal with labour unrest. He describes the office of Minister for Labour as a difficult challenge that requires a great deal of attention given the amount of change taking place in society.
He sets out his main long term objective to create a society where people can live together without having to have their guns drawn all the time.
I think we have to get people to realise that the distribution of wealth and contentment in work, the availability of opportunity, these are something that everybody has a right to.
Patrick Hillery identifies that the immediate problem of industrial relations will require bringing people together. He says that legislation alone will not work and there must be goodwill on all sides.
The Office of the Minister for Labour was created under the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1966 as a member of the Government of Ireland. The Department of Labour was dissolved in 1997.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 6 July 1966.
