Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I thank the Minister for coming to the House for this debate. I have a file of e-mails, and have received many telephone calls, from Aer Lingus workers detailing their real distress and grave anxiety at the prospect of a predatory and hostile takeover by Ryanair. They repeat the unanswerable point about which the Minister was warned a few months ago and failed to take on board.

The takeover by Ryanair will be extremely bad for competition in this country and will deal a devastating blow to competition in aviation. In the early days of Ryanair, the State helped the company to stay afloat and in business to promote competition. Now the Minister has allowed a situation to arise in which there will be no competition.

The workers detail their own fine service and the hard work over the past ten to 20 years, and in one case 28 years, in helping to restructure Aer Lingus and make it competitive again. They look at the vicious track record of Michael O'Leary with the appalling treatment of Ryanair workers and the refusal to allow them professional representation. He has always had professional representation for his own emoluments, the millions of euro he has taken from the Ryanair company. At the same time, he will not allow the same rights to the workers of Ryanair. Apart from the Ryanair workers who have informed me of this, the High Court declared Michael O'Leary a classic bully.

In their communications to me, Aer Lingus workers have referred to the airline's valuable Dublin Airport assets and the importance of its London airport slots. What will be the impact on the Dublin Airport Authority being faced by a monopoly with a single large operator? This is what the Minister has allowed to happen. Aer Lingus workers refer to Ryanair's takeover of Buzz Airline where, despite Michael O'Leary's many promises to the workforce, in a short time 400 jobs went down the tubes. The letters also refer to the bilateral arrangement with the United States. What will happen to Aer Lingus if it becomes a company with less than 50% Irish ownership?

These letters show great and real distress. Many of the workers have also informed me how distressed they were that their local Fianna Fáil representatives refused to reply to their e-mails or telephone calls. This is particularly reprehensible as these Members trouped through the lobbies to vote through the privatisation of the company. This Saturday, all Aer Lingus workers must visit each of their Fianna Fáil representatives: Deputies Martin Brady and Woods of Dublin North-East; Deputies Haughey and Callely of Dublin North-Central; Deputies Carey and Noel Ahern of Dublin North-West; the outgoing — is it any wonder — Deputies Glennon and Wright of Dublin North; Deputy Brian Lenihan of Dublin West; and Deputy Fitzpatrick of Dublin Central. We must not forget the guy who styles himself the great Dublin northsider — the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern. Each of these representatives allowed the privatisation of the airline that now threatens 3,500 jobs and families in Dublin's north side. This is what the Minister for Transport has achieved.

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