In Dail Eireann this morning Labour Transport Spokesperson Tommy Broughan accused Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Transport Minister Noel Dempsey of ignoring the current devastating crisis in Aer Lingus.  This is even though Minister Dempsey has ultimate responsibility for the government’s 25% shareholding in the company.

Deputy Broughan said, “Talks have collapsed between Aer Lingus management and staff on the company’s €97 million annual cost-cutting proposals of €97 million.  Taoiseach Cowen and Minister Dempsey must ensure that the talks resume as soon as possible at the National Implementation Body.

“Aer Lingus has now informed the government that if agreement is not reached it will seek 1,065 compulsory redundancies including 590 ground staff, 336 cabin crew and 139 pilots in Dublin, Cork and Shannon. Further job losses of this scale at Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports would be devastating given the haemorrhaging of jobs that has already occurred in the aviation sector. There are also serious threats to Ireland’s aviation connectivity if Aer Lingus is allowed to move to the UK aviation register as proposed under “Project Greenfield.”

“Yet incredibly Minister Dempsey has repeatedly refused to address either the threat to over a thousand Aer Lingus jobs or the outsourcing plans in any meaningful way in Dail Eireann. Yesterday in the House the Minister would not confirm whether he knew and had indeed approved of the “Project Greenfield” outsourcing plans. But the Minister is both the government’s 25% shareholder in the company and has also appointed three directors to the board of Aer Lingus.

“Taoiseach Cowen, Minister Dempsey and their colleagues must now utilise all the state’s industrial relations mechanisms and bodies to get this crisis resolved and to protect critical aviation jobs at Aer Lingus. The Minister should also make an immediate statement to Dail Eireann outlining what national interest guidelines he has given to the government directors in terms of “Project Greenfield” and how he plans to ensure that the current turmoil in Aer Lingus ends as a matter of priority.”