Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of questions and I ask the Tánaiste to answer them. If there is time I will come back in again. Everybody is speaking about businesses and the supports they need. It is true that businesses need support. It is interesting that when things were going well businesses were telling us that the State did not need to do anything for them and that the State should have no involvement in business, but when businesses get into trouble the first thing they look for is the State to bail them out and make sure they can stay in business. This is very interesting and something we need to keep in mind.

Earlier, the Tánaiste said he is proposing radical and far-reaching supports for business through this period, and rightly so, but the entire debate today has been about the benefits that businesses bring to our community and society. There is a quid pro quofor this. If we support and save businesses by putting in place support measures, and I am thinking in particular about the temporary wage subsidy, businesses should pay this back and support us at the same time. By this I mean they should ensure workers are maintained and paid for the work they do. At present, many businesses throughout the country, particularly in Donegal, are looking for a 10% wage deduction from the workers they are keeping on. These are the workers we are paying the businesses to keep on through the temporary wage subsidy scheme. This is wrong and we should tell businesses that if we are bailing them out they have to play their part and ensure their workers are kept on for as long as possible, which means not cutting their wages. They are using the crisis we are in at present to increase their profitability. This is what they are doing.

There is no doubt many businesses face difficulties at present, and there is an uncertain future, but we are facilitating businesses so they can maintain employment and get back to work. If, six months or a year down the road, they can show they are not viable then they can look at reducing numbers, in partnership with their workers because they know exactly whether a business can survive. It is very important that we tie everything we do into making sure businesses treat their workers properly. A sustainable business is a business that treats its workers properly. The fact is that most small businesses would not be viable without workers. Workers make a business work.

Does the Tánaiste think it is reasonable that businesses should be looking to cut wages at this time for the workers they are keeping on, particularly those workers we support through the wage subsidy scheme? Does the Tánaiste think the July scheme should be made conditional on businesses supporting their workers? This is not about small employers. It is big businesses that are doing this. We hear all about Aer Lingus and Ryanair trying to do it. Big hotel businesses and big businesses in rural Ireland are all doing this. They are all looking to cut wages while benefiting from the State's supports. Does the Tánaiste feel it is reasonable that businesses should be reducing wages while benefiting from the wage subsidy scheme and what will he do about it?

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