Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and appreciate that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, cannot be present, which is fair enough. However, it is vital that the Government take a proactive role in dealing with this dispute. None of us wants to see the jobs lost or workers out on strike. However, the company has taken a very negative position, of which we have proof. It appears from the Minister of State's response that the Department might be getting only one side of the story. We must be proactive and state the company must be willing to offer to engage in negotiations without preconditions. The trade unions involved do not want there to be any precondition as that is the only way the dispute will be resolved. The Government must play its part in that regard and demand that both sides to the dispute go to the Workplace Relations Commission to negotiate without preconditions. That is where the negotiations can take place.

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