Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The crisis that now faces our aviation sector is unprecedented and requires unprecedented action from the Government. Sinn Féin has been calling for a survival and recovery plan for months to protect workers, their families and the industry. These workers need help to pay their mortgages and look after their families. They do not need Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to play politics with their livelihoods. It must be remembered that Fianna Fáil privatised Aer Lingus in 2006 and the job was finished off by Fine Gael in 2015. Sinn Féin opposed privatisation at the time because we knew it would cost jobs in the long run.

More bad news has hit Cork in recent days as it was announced that 198 Aer Lingus jobs at Cork Airport will be temporarily lost for the period from September to late October or late November. These temporary job losses are bad news for workers and their families. The Government must ensure they are not lost permanently.

When Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, it is important that we have a strong aviation sector. That is critical and cannot be undermined. Connectivity is vital for somewhere like Cork as the area tries to be a reasonable counterbalance to Dublin to bring jobs into the region. The Minister has spent the past few weeks trying to play the blame game but the only people to blame here are those in government and the decision-makers at Cabinet who are not protecting workers' jobs. Instead of listening, this Government is blaming everyone else. It must take responsibility.

It has been unbelievable to hear Government backbenchers going on about Sinn Féin and the Opposition when, last May, the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, asked the Government to bring in mandatory hotel quarantine and it refused. It took the Government nine months to bring in mandatory quarantine. The crocodile tears from Government backbenchers about the aviation sector have also been unbelievable. They should not come in here and tell me about it but instead tell their party leaders and Ministers because they are the people who make the decisions. It is not on for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to try to play both sides.

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