Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of this scheme is to protect jobs. That was the overriding objective I faced at the time that I introduced it. It is possible that companies are reducing the wages they are paying their staff because their revenue has gone down, they have lost clients and they are worried they might not be around tomorrow. That is the reality facing those who are working in those companies at the moment and those who own them. They are worried about their future and whether their company will still be around. Those people in those companies are deeply concerned about whether they will have a job. Therefore, it is possible in those circumstances that wages will be reduced for a period to give a fighting chance for the job to be kept and for the employer to continue into the future. That is the only reason that should happen. The purpose of the TWSS is not to facilitate wage reductions on behalf of employers who might have other motives. The purpose of the scheme to keep people in work.

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