Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome. I acknowledge the fact we have people from the industry here in the Chamber this afternoon. We have Michael from west Kerry, who has worked in the industry for 37 years. We have Una from Stradbally as well. It is important to note they have taken the time to come up here again today.

Let me be clear, my concern, as Senator Lombard has said, and he made a very strong point on it on the previous day, is for a just transition for these workers. That is the issue at heart here. I am surprised, particularly as the Minister comes from rural Ireland. Just to be clear, I am from Limerick and I have no direct interest in this apart from justice for these workers. Industries close all the time. When I was a trade union official, unfortunately, you would break the bad news to the workers and then you would go into a negotiation and you negotiate a package in the best way you can to enable those people to move on. I find it shocking and entirely unacceptable that, right now, we are looking at a Bill that will offer these workers statutory redundancy. I do not know about the Minister but I do not believe I could sleep at night if I were to say to a worker who had given 37 years’ service and say, “You know what, you're just getting statutory redundancy. That's it. Good luck.” The Government is sending that message, and I believe everyone in this Chamber - I am not being party political about this - is saying to the Minister that is not right.

I am asking the Minister, and this echoes what others have said, to negotiate a package with these people. It can be done very quickly. It is done week in, week out in this country because, as we know, sometimes businesses close. The Government is closing this business. We need to come up to the mark. We cannot turn our backs on these people. Just to be clear, and I mean this respectfully, the Minister has the power and the responsibility to deal with this. Please engage with these people to ensure they can move on with their lives and to ensure those words “just transition” have real meaning for these people, their communities and their livelihoods.