Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Comerama workers were never employed by the State and in any event, received substantial ex gratia severance payments in settlements with the company. The meeting between the Tánaiste and some former Comerama workers took place almost six months before the coming into force of the Redundancy Payments Act 2003. In that period, approximately 12,000 other workers were made redundant throughout the economy.

It would not be possible to make special legislative provisions for any particular group of workers. If these 12,000 people were paid the new statutory redundancy rates, the difference between the old and the new rates would cost around €75 million. Everything possible was done to ensure that the workers got their full statutory redundancy entitlements. No commitment was given, nor could a commitment be given, to enhance retrospectively statutory redundancy payments. The Minister met with SIPTU officials and discussed all the issues raised, especially that of ring-fencing. It is not considered possible to facilitate the award of redundancy payments to one set of workers without extending them to many other workers before the new enhanced rates are introduced.

Senator Mansergh pointed out that there is an ongoing dispute concerning the levels of redundancy payments made to different groups in the factory. Redundancy payment issues are primarily a matter for the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In view of some of the misrepresentations that have been ascribed to my Government and constituency colleagues, it is important to put those facts on the record.