Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I thank the Minister for his reply. Does he accept that there were no redundancies in this case? What happened was that the jobs in question were sold to people from other countries who were prepared to work at a lower rate. In logical terms and in light of the facts the Irish Seamen's Union, ISU, agreed, under pressure and coercion, to allow their members to sell their jobs in return for a package, valued at €4.3 million, that was administered out of the fund into which everyone pays. The package to which I refer was paid out in respect not of people who lost their jobs but those whose jobs were sold to individuals who undertook to work at a lower rate. In terms of the facts, do I have it wrong or is that a fair presentation of what actually happened?

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