Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the speakers for appearing before us today. I want to extrapolate a little from the Bord na Móna scenario. For us, it was to be the exemplar for the just transition. It was to be the example to which we could all refer as the big glorious project in which the workers transitioned and were treated fairly. We are getting a very strong sense today, however, that the workers are not getting packages that are commensurate with their years of service. This committee has to take that very seriously. When the Bord na Móna representatives were before us, they spoke about the 11 town hall meetings they had. I hope no gloss or spin was put on that. They spoke about renewable energy projects at a number of wind farms and aerobic digestion facilities.

They spoke about aquaculture and afforestation of 20,000 to 30,000 acres to develop the biomass biochain. Mr. Noone has expressed some views on that. They spoke about recycling and tourism. My question is simple. There was mention of town hall engagement with workers but do workers who are not seeking to subscribe to the voluntary redundancy scheme have a legitimate expectation within Bord na Móna currently to transition to other areas in the company? From the perspective of the congress or SIPTU, is there an expectation among workers that they will be redeployed into one of these areas of activity and there is a legitimate expectation to retain a job or employment?