Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to congratulate the Minister, Deputy James Reilly. Perhaps he will be here later but I would like to congratulate him in advance of his appearance. He was formally recognised this week by the World Health Organisation for his work on tobacco control. The WHO identified the Minister as a key international figure in the fight against the harm caused by tobacco, as part of its annual World No Tobacco Day initiative.

The threatened strike at Aer Lingus this weekend will be very disruptive for tourists and those looking forward to taking a break this weekend. I believe it would be better for everyone if the strike were called off. I welcome the fact that IMPACT has accepted an invitation from the company to return to talks. This is the third threat of strike action since the start of this year, which is damaging the company. The dispute is about rosters. The unions are rightly looking for an improvement in terms and conditions and rightly so. However, there are two sides to this story and the way to address it is through bilateral talks or talks at the Labour Relations Commission which is charged with arbitrating on issues like this. I join the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, in encouraging both sides to talk with the LRC before any strike takes place.