The Government hoped that trade union concerns on the sale of a majority stake in Aer Lingus could be dealt with, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the House.
The Government hoped that trade union concerns on the sale of a majority stake in Aer Lingus could be dealt with, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the House.
Mr Ahern was responding to Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, who asked if he anticipated that it could be "a breaking point" with the unions in terms of the social partnership discussions.
The Taoiseach replied that Minister for Transport Martin Cullen had been engaged, and continued to engage, with the trade unions.
"He is conscious of their concerns. In allowing the sale of Aer Lingus to proceed, we hope the concerns highlighted by the trade unions in numerous meetings, as late as last night, can be dealt with. There are, obviously, concerns about employment status and pensions," he added.
"The Government and the Ministers for Finance and Transport have been directly involved and are anxious that we reach satisfactory understandings on these issues. This will help the company to grow, while at the same time dealing with the issues that the trade unions have rightly raised."
Caoimhghin Ó Caolain (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) warned about a a repeat of the "Eircom debacle", adding that Aer Lingus would also be thrown to the wolves. "We will have very little return to the State, a bleak future for the workforce, and a profitable national airline broken up for onward sale and set aside."
Mr Ó Caolain urged the Government, "at this eleventh hour", to respond to an appeal to pull back from the brink, recognising the historic reality relating to previous sell-offs of major key infrastructural elements within the overall economic condition. All the other "salient and important options" should be examined, he added.
Mr Ahern repeated that the Minister would do everything he could to try to resolve the issues raised by the unions.
Earlier, Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) questioned the decision to privatise Aer Lingus. "Will the Government make a complete mockery of what ordinary people might consider to be partnership by foisting privatisation against the will of the majority of Aer Lingus workers and throwing them to the stock market wolves with disastrous potential consequences for jobs, pensions, security and their future ?"
Mr Ahern said security of employment was far from certain when Aer Lingus was in the State sector.
"Thousands of jobs were lost when the State had total control. As I have said previously, I am in favour of private equity being invested in Aer Lingus. I am in favour of the company growing, expanding, developing, increasing employment and gaining strength in the aviation market. I do not want to see it continue in the old ways of reducing employment and suffering every time there is a difficulty. I continue to support it."
He added that when one considered the EU-United States open skies policy, and the opportunities it had created to develop and expand employment, he believed strongly that this was the way they should proceed.
