Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With my colleagues, Deputies Joanna Tuffy, Emmet Stagg and Jack Wall, I am very concerned about the risk to more than 400 jobs at the Lufthansa Technik plant at Rathcoole, County Dublin. These are highly skilled jobs of a type of which we do not have enough in Ireland and it would be a major blow to our area and the country generally if they were lost. It is welcome that the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, has asked IDA Ireland to engage with this case and that there is a 30 day consultation period. I urge IDA Ireland, the management and the trade unions involved to come together to see if it is possible to do something to save all of the jobs, if possible. If it is not, it would be most welcome if an alternative operator could be found. It is very important that these jobs are kept in the country. In an ideal world I would like Lufthansa to continue because from my consultation with the workers, it has proved, up until now, to be a good employer. Everybody can empathise with the workers because they face a very bleak Christmas and an uncertain new year and every effort must be made to save as many jobs as possible. Given that we have a major expanding private airline in Ireland, I wonder if it is possible to put out feelers to see if it has jet engines that could be serviced at this plant.

I support the remarks I know Deputies Emmet Stagg and Jack Wall will make about the PWAI. Those jobs are equally important. Although fewer in number, it is very important that they be kept in Ireland.

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