Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is a bit of a dichotomy in the media between rural and urban Ireland that misses the fact that this dispute has brought Ireland's second largest city of Cork and many other of our major cities to a standstill. The Cork Business Association estimates that footfall in that city has fallen between 30% and 50%. That would not be allowed to happen in Dublin. The Minister's response and that of many other Government representatives on the day of the actions at Dublin Bus reflect that. This is happening on the Minister's watch. It is not the responsibility or fault of workers who are rightly rejecting savage pay cuts of as much as 30%. No worker could accept or tolerate cuts of that level. I put it to the Minister at the transport committee that there was no good reason not to intervene. This is one of the most important pieces of strategic infrastructure in the State. It delivers people to education, work and hospitals, yet the Minister is allowing it to fall idle. This is the Minister's responsibility.

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