Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for the response on pay-related benefits. I share his hope that this will be a short-term temporary layoff for the workers affected. Again, My thoughts are with the workers. The Taoiseach has not answered my question on the proposal for a short-term working scheme. Indeed, is it a proposal that has been put forward across the labour movement. I would like a clear response on that. We have seen it used elsewhere to protect workers in this situation.

I have a further question. The Taoiseach stated that there has been engagement between Tara Mines and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for some months now. I have a specific question about the nature of that engagement. Did Tara Mines seek forms of assistance from Government in the past six months, including under the Ukraine enterprise crisis scheme, a scheme that the Taoiseach signed off on last year? We need to know what State supports the company sought and obtained. The company cannot be allowed to pull the plug on its workers.

At the very least, we need a concrete commitment that employees existing terms and conditions will be retained when they go back to work in what we hope will be a very short time. Has the Government communicated that to the company yet? If not, will it do so?

We need to see a response on the short-term working scheme. We believe that this is the way in which the Government can very much step forward and offer concrete means of support to workers in the awful scenario of what we hope will be only a temporary layoff.

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