Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The big question on everybody's lips is, given that the Government no longer has a mandate, when does it propose to do the decent thing and resign? However, we all know the answer to that question. Rather than focus on that question, I propose to drag the Government back to the real world of families who are trying to raise their children and earn a living and who do not have the luxury of sitting around and wondering who the next Leader of the Labour Party will be or how the spoils of that party are to be divided. These families want to know what the Government proposes to do to improve their lives. The message to the Government following the recent elections is that what it has been dishing out to citizens can no longer continue.

The Taoiseach has told us that he will listen to people. I put it to him that the first test in this regard, with which the Government will be faced in the next two to three days, concerns the imminent strike action by Aer Lingus cabin crew. Some 1,000 cabin crew members have made a last ditch cry for help in their decision to take to the picket lines this bank holiday weekend, including at Shannon Airport, in a dispute over rosters, which dispute, contrary to the expensive and inaccurate propaganda by the company in blaming the IMPACT trade union and staff, is the sole responsibility of management. Management has, insultingly, sought to portray the strike as staff seeking an additional 32 days off, despite that it knows full well that no proposal would result in any staff member working fewer hours or gaining additional time off. All the staff are asking is that time off be given in a planned and family-friendly manner, as is the case in respect of pilots and across all other Irish and EU airlines. Why has this matter not been resolved? The only conclusion one can draw is that this is not about rosters, rather it is a declaration of war against the workforce. Normally, Fine Gael would love this; it is usually right up its street, and one wonders whether the recent election results have caused it to rethink its position. Perhaps its friends in the Labour Party will jolt it. Given that the Government holds a 25% shareholding in the company, which, when taken with the staff shareholding, equates to a majority shareholding, does the Minister believe it is acceptable in a modern economy that workers should be shackled to rosters that can change with two, three or four hours notice? Does he believe it is acceptable for a company with a Government shareholding to refuse to negotiate or engage with the Labour Court and that it can spend company money on advertisements against its staff and on a legal action? If he does, the Government is more out of touch than we thought. If not, what does the Government propose to do about it? It only has two or three days in which to do something.

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