Engagement between Aer Lingus and employees necessary for reaching agreement – Farrell
19th June 2020 - Alan Farrell TD
Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell, has said that the job losses announced today at Aer Lingus are deeply saddening and urged all sides to engage in good faith.
Deputy Farrell said, “The airline industry has been one of the worst affected sectors in the economy since the Covid-19 pandemic began. As international travel has ground to a halt, companies have come under increasing pressure.
“It was with great sadness that we learned of the up to 500 job losses in Aer Lingus today. This will undoubtedly cause significant stress and worry to the workers and their families.”
Deputy Farrell continued, “The Government took swift action to limit the job losses which resulted from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. The Wage Subsidy Scheme, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and a new fund through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund, are all designed to help people and businesses through this uncertain time.
“Industrial relations are a matter for the airlines, their employees and their partners, which unfortunately means that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, has no role in such matters. However, if redundancies must occur, I urge Aer Lingus to engage with their employees in good faith. The industrial relations machinery of the State stands ready to assist all parties in an effort to reach a suitable agreement.”
Deputy Farrell added, “We are committed to rebuilding the economy with a new Action Plan for Jobs and a range of supports for the business community. Workers whose employment is impacted by Covid-19 will not be left behind as we return to economic growth. Together we will rebuild and overcome the economic challenges presented by the pandemic.”
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
- The Wage Subsidy Scheme aims to keep people in their jobs by subsidising the wage costs incurred by employers. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/
service/578596-covid-19-wage- subsidy/ - The Pandemic Unemployment Payment is supporting those who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. More information can be found here:https://www.gov.ie/en/
service/be74d3-covid-19- pandemic-unemployment-payment/ - The ISIF Pandemic Stabilisation and Recovery Fund is designed to support medium and large businesses and will have an investment fund of €2bn. More information can be found here: https://isif.ie/pandemic-
stabilisation-and-recovery- fund - These form part of a larger €12bn package to help enterprises of all sizes through the pandemic.
- As part of the Programme for Government, a strong focus on jobs has been included, to help our people get back to work, a full copy of the document can be found here, https://www.finegael.ie/app/
uploads/2020/06/ ProgrammeforGovernment_Final_ 16.06.20.pdf
Alan Farrell TD
Dublin FingalAlan Farrell is the Chairperson of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party. He is also the Fine Gael Dáil spokesperson on…
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