Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Bhí Sinn Féin glan in aghaidh Rialtas Fianna Fáil nuair a dhíol sé Aer Lingus and we oppose this latest move by Fine Gael and the Labour Party to sell off the State's remaining 25% stake in the company. Ireland is a small island nation and the economy needs consistent and secure air access, and not just for seven years but in perpetuity. No Government should jeopardise this by throwing away the links that Aer Lingus provides. This State, through its 25% stake in the company, has the potential to be an advocate for sustainable development of Aer Lingus in the interests of its customers, workers and the island as a whole. Like any private multinational conglomerate, IAG will only seek to maximise profit. This Government has once again failed to put Irish strategic interests first. The State will now have no say whatsoever in the future of Aer Lingus. A few short years down the line, it will be clear to every one that we have lost a vital aviation asset forever. We will lose certainty, connectivity and jobs. Beidh deireadh le hAer Lingus.

If sold off, Aer Lingus will become a very small cog in a vast multinational airline enterprise. Commercial considerations rather than national strategic ones will be the deciding factors. The interests of IAG shareholders will always trump the interests of the economy and the Irish travelling public. The Minister knows this and the Government knows this. Ba mhaith leis an chuid is mó de mhuintir na hÉireann gurb in Éirinn a bheidh Aer Lingus. Let us remember that this is a profitable company. Aer Lingus's financial position, after some huge losses following privatisation, is strong. Major growth is planned on long-haul routes. It has been buying new aircraft. Aer Lingus does not need IAG and the Government does not need to sell off this asset.

Of course, senior management at the airline will benefit by millions of euro from any sell-off, but Aer Lingus workers have been given no guarantees on compulsory redundancies or outsourcing. According to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohue, and these are his words, not mine, Mr. Kavanagh has indicated that he does not foresee a likelihood of either compulsory redundancies or non-direct employment under IAG ownership. Is that "likelihood" a legally binding guarantee? Níl anseo ach plámás.

Trade unions at Aer Lingus envisage 1,200 job losses as a result of this sell-off. Those job losses would cost taxpayers €8 million just to meet the basic entitlements in terms of jobseeker payments for these workers. Since IAG took over the Iberia airline, it has cut 4,500 jobs.

What of the internal report which the Minister claims he has not read and which the Taoiseach also claims not to have read? It was commissioned by Aer Lingus and recommended slashing costs by cutting 10% of pilots' jobs, 10% of cabin crew jobs and 25% of the catering staff. The Nyras report was presented to the management of Aer Lingus a month ago and represents a major blueprint for job cuts, confirming the worst fears of Aer Lingus workers. The Government, despite its claims to the contrary, has received no guarantees whatsoever about compulsory redundancies or outsourcing and it claims to know nothing about this blueprint for wide-ranging job cuts.

In these circumstances, how on earth can this Dáil be expected to approve the sell-off of the people's stake? In the Government's efforts to ram this through it briefed the media rather than the Dáil. I do not understand why Deputies were not given all the documentation, all the paper work. Leaving aside ideological and other considerations, how does refusing to provide us with those things give us the basis for making an informed decision? There were condescending and patronising remarks from Government spokespersons, telling us we have to understand the difficulties and the complexities involved in all of this. Why not just give us the papers? Are we stupid? Can we not read them ourselves? Can we not form a judgment?

Sinn Féin opposed the initial Fianna Fáil decision to privatise and the Government is simply finishing off the bit of business commenced by Fianna Fáil. Fine Gael is an adherent of neoliberal ideology. It believes in dismantling State assets and in privatisation across the board. Look at Irish Water. Watch that space in the time ahead. Fine Gael would sell its granny if that suited the market. But what of the Labour Party? What of the famous motion passed at the Labour Party conference? What about the absence of Labour Party Deputies for this debate? The motion signed by eight Labour Party Deputies called for an independent valuation of Aer Lingus assets in Heathrow slots. It also sought a commitment to prevent the outsourcing of jobs and compulsory redundancies. It called for a plan for Cork and Shannon airports, taking into account their value to their individual regions. No such guarantees have been given. What of the 1,500 deferred Aer Lingus pensioners, sold out by Fianna Fáil in the first instance and now by Fine Gael and the Labour Party? Where are the Labour Deputies who said they would oppose the sell-off, tooth and nail? As Shakespeare once wrote, "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing". Tá Fine Gael agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre ag cur críche leis an obair a thosaigh Fianna Fáil. Mo náire iad.

Those Deputies who sponsored the motion at the Labour Party conference are not stupid. They know it is wrong to sell off Aer Lingus. They also know that the terms and conditions of this sell-off do not match the motion they sponsored. Was their conference motion all about the optics? This vote today allows them to make a stand. In fact, this vote compels them to make a stand in keeping with their own party conference motion. Unless their party conference motion was always about throwing shapes, that is exactly what they should do. They should vote against the sell-off of Aer Lingus. If they vote for it they will be putting the interest of a multinational company before the needs and interests of the Irish people.

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