David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not a good time for Waterford or the workers of Bausch & Lomb. Last Thursday, the dreadful news was delivered to us that the management had called in the members of staff to inform them that it was seeking 200 redundancies and pay cuts of 20% for the remaining 900 staff. Since then, there has been much discussion and many meetings between Oireachtas Members and the management of the company, between Oireachtas Members and the Minister's office and the Department, and between the enterprise agencies and the company. More importantly, union representatives are locked in discussions with management and we wish both parties well in their discussions. We are looking forward to a better outcome in terms of what was announced a number of weeks ago. I appeal to the Minister to ensure that every effort is made to protect and maintain jobs at the plant in Waterford and that every resource of the State, in terms of the enterprise agencies and the industrial relations machinery, is made available to the union, the workforce and the company to get the best possible outcome.

Perhaps the Minister will outline the discussions that have taken place between the Department, the Minister and the company in the lead-up to the announcement and why trade unions were kept in the dark about what was happening. It seems the workers and their union representatives were the last to find out. Perhaps the Minister can explain the supports offered in respect of supporting and retaining jobs at the plant. My understanding, from discussions with the vice president of the company, is that any support the Government is willing to offer is completely independent of the €20 million saving they say must be achieved to make the company viable. This includes the 200 redundancies and pay cuts of 20%. Why is Government support not part of an overall package to mitigate the effect, especially the 20% pay cut that unions have articulated as unsustainable for families? We need the Minister and the Government to be active participants in what is happening. I acknowledge that the Minister has had discussions with the company and has put on record the Government's willingness to support the company where it can. How will that happen? What tangible support can be put in place and what practical support has been offered to the company?

The Minister knows there is understandable anger and frustration in Waterford because of the overall jobs situation in a jobs crisis. Even if we can mitigate the number of redundancies the company seeks and the pay cuts, there will be considerable hurt and the workforce must endure redundancies and some level of pay cuts. That will have an impact on the local economy, especially in a city with high levels of unemployment such as in Waterford city, the county and the south east. What practical steps has the Government taken to implement the Forfás report, published by an arm of the State that comes within the remit of the Minister, which made clear recommendations? Have all of the recommendations been implemented? The Minister is aware of the south-east economic development strategy published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation last year. A similar report was published by the newly merged authority in Waterford city and county, making similar risk recommendations about the need for university, a level playing field for foreign direct investment, regional grant aid, the need for regional office of the IDA based in Waterford, a regional director of the IDA based in Waterford, and a regional strategy of the enterprise agencies working to a regional plan.

What concrete proposals have been implemented by the Minister and the Government since the reports were published? Does the Minister agree that far more must be done to shore up, protect, maintain and create jobs in Waterford city add county and the south-east region generally?