Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Order of Business. I raise today the ongoing and deeply distressing situation of hundreds of Aer Lingus employees. As we are all aware, over the last five months I along with many colleagues in this House and the Dáil have raised issues regarding Aer Lingus workers accessing the short-term income supports backdated to March 2020. Due to the management of the temporary wage scheme by Aer Lingus, I believe a disservice was done to the employees leaving them on less - much less in many cases - than the €350 pandemic unemployment payment that was envisaged by the last Government and carried on by this one.

These employees have had to turn to the Department of Social Protection for assistance given their reduced hours and pay. Many of them have applied for the short-term working scheme, allowing them to claim jobseeker's payment for the days they were not working when they were on 50% or 30% of their salary. For five months from March until the end of September not one of these applications has either been awarded or rejected. They have just been put on a red flag file.

I know how hard Intreo officers work and I have great respect for them. In recent months they have been frustrated in dealing with the queries both online and in person. They are doing their absolute best, but they are awaiting instructions from the Department and the Minister. There are ongoing negotiations between them and Aer Lingus as to how best to manage.

In the middle of all this, I am aware that we have more than 2,000 applicants for the short-term working scheme waiting for backdated payments and for their applications to be processed. We are now seven or eight weeks away from Christmas. These people have been living on buttons since March. It is not acceptable that an agency of the State, or indeed a blue-chip employer like Aer Lingus, would continue to stand over the mistreatment of its employees as is happening.

I call for the Department of Social Protection to intervene with a communication directly to the more than 2,000 applicants outlining when and how they will be dealt with, and what kind of outcome they can expect.While there are people who are entitled to the short-time working scheme and will get what they are entitled to, an expectation has been created among far more employees in Aer Lingus that they are also entitled to access the scheme and I fear they are not entitled to do so. This needs to be brought to an end today with a clear statement from the Department but also direct communication to every one of those 2,000 and more applicants.