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

I join Deputy Bacik in offering my condolences on the death of Tommie Gorman. I only met him last Monday night. I cannot believe this news. I hope we will have an opportunity to say more at a more appropriate point.

To deal with the substantive and important issue the Deputy raised, the State is intervening through the labour relations institutions that it has at its disposal. Engagement took place through the Labour Court yesterday. Contingency plans are a matter for Aer Lingus and its owner, IAG. They are also a matter for those who are threatening strike action. Both sides need to realise the scale of harm that could be done to our economy. We are an open economy, and tourism matters so much. Harm has already happened, not to mention the stress that many are facing at the moment as they worry if they can travel for holiday or business reasons.

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