Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The report compares and contrasts the cost base at Aer Lingus with that at EasyJet and Vueling, two well-known and successful budget airlines. Both companies have highly aggressive industrial relations practices and I would have thought that would raise concerns for the Tánaiste. Since this report has been highlighted, there has been a desperate attempt to mollify, appease and console some of her party's backbenchers. We understand there are letters flying between the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Nash and the CEO of Aer Lingus on an almost hourly basis. An issue is forgotten, a letter is updated and more information is supplied to help to get somebody else through the gap and so forth. I was on a radio programme this morning with a member of the national executive of the Labour Party, the president of SIPTU, Mr. Jack O' Connor who said that he accepted that the vote was gong to go through this evening. However, he added that if the agreements that were outlined in a letter between the Minister of State, Deputy Nash and the CEO of Aer Lingus are not respected he will prevail upon the Tánaiste and the other Labour Party members of Government to block the deal at a later stage.

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