David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On Tuesday, in the absence of the Leader, I raised the issue of the 800 IBRC workers who have temporary contracts. Some of them will be transferred to NAMA. I hope that as many jobs as possible can be saved. We are not concerned about the executives and the people in IBRC who were part of the problem. We are concerned about the ordinary low to middle income staff workers who face an uncertain future.

On the night that we debated the promissory note changes late into the night, and the subsequent legislation that was passed when the bank was liquidated, agreements were put in place regarding contracts and redundancy terms. There was an agreement to a redundancy package of four weeks pay per year of service. Both agreements are now gone. The workers, who might be redundant, are now being offered the statutory redundancy. Last week the union concerned gave a presentation on the matter in the AV room at Leinster House. It was very good. It is important that we get a statement from the Minister for Finance, either through him attending here or via the Leader's office and his statement could be reported to the Seanad next week. I want an update on where the former and present workers in the bank stand.

On a similar note, some weeks I also called for this House to find a way to celebrate and mark the centenary of the 1913 Lock-out and asked that we would invite a senior trade union leader to the House as part of the centenary celebrations, which are taking place across the State. I wrote to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, CPP, on the issue. It would be an important opportunity for this House to mark that event and invite a senior trade union leader to come into the House.