Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from the question that has been raised by Deputy Jim Daly, I am interested in the conversations the Taoiseach had with Vice President Biden in a general sense but particularly on the issue of the Cork-Boston flights. It is fair to say that in Cork city and county there is a strong mood for connectivity and flights connecting ourselves with Boston and New York at a later point. Cork city and county also form an area with a strong tradition when it comes to standing up for and respecting workers' rights. The issue of workers' rights is in the mix of the debate about these flights. We have had reports that Norwegian Air is talking about using agency workers who would be sourced from outside the US and the EU, perhaps with cabin crew and pilots taken on from south-east Asia. There has been talk of wages being paid of $500 a month, and with the race to the bottom, that is something that would concern people. In this country, the Irish Airline Pilots Association, IALPA, has raised those concerns and in the US they have been raised by various trade unions and members of Vice President Biden's party, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. I am interested in information and an update on flights and connectivity. I am also wondering if the Vice President, whose Department of Transportation is looking into this, has any further update or information about the workers' rights issue here.

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