Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister agree that this is an act of economic sabotage by a very highly paid group of workers? The average pay for these workers is over €160,000 per year, which is a lot of money. They do a very important job that is critical to our economy - we all know that - so it is imperative that they go back to work immediately and that they and the IAA get together with the Labour Relations Commission to sort out this issue. Nobody has any sympathy for them or what they are doing. They are destroying the good name of the country and they are affecting business people travelling today who would have had routes planned for many years. People are coming here to set up employment and do something about lifting our economy off the ground.

Does the Minister agree it is time for him and the Government to take action on this issue? Two years ago, a strike was threatened by this group. The Minister at that time agreed with me that there ought to be a no-strike clause in the employment contract of essential transport workers like these. Is it not a fact that the Labour Relations Commission in 1994 identified workers in this area and other emergency workers who should never be able to have a wildcat strike? It is unacceptable in a modern age that our economy can be held to ransom by these people. Will the Minister return to the commitment he made two years ago to introduce legislation to make sure this can never happen again? They are well paid, highly intelligent and capable people who do an excellent job. They are able to sit down with their union, IMPACT, and the Labour Relations Commission and the IAA to solve the issues but they should not hold the country to ransom.

The Minister will be held accountable for failing to act on this. For two years he has introduced no legislation and there has been no change. His work programme for this Dáil session contains no legislation other than two small merchant shipping Bills. He is asleep at the wheel and letting the country collapse around him. He is not dealing with the issues he said he would deal with two years ago.

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