O’Reilly seeks assurances for job security of Dublin Airport employees commuting from Cavan and Monaghan

Speaking on the sale of Aer Lingus to IAG, Fine Gael TD for Cavan/Monaghan, Joe O’Reilly outlined to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, his concern for the many people who commute to work in Dublin Airport.

“Many people in Cavan and south Monaghan commute to work in Dublin Airport. They are either directly employed by Aer Lingus or they work for the DAA, car rental companies, nearby hotels and other related businesses. Due to the improved motorway network, Cavan and Monaghan have become commuter counties and Dublin Airport is a major employer.

“An important part of the agreement with IAG has been the safeguarding of the current rights of employees. I was delighted to receive assurance from Minister Donohoe on this issue. IAG will re-register existing employment agreements and these will have legal standing. This reassurance is critical.

“Minister Donohoe and a senior Aer Lingus official have assured me that 200 new direct jobs will be created before the end of 2016 in Aer Lingus and by 2020, some 635 jobs will be created; 470 of these will be pilot and cabin crew; 165 will be engineers and the remainder ground staff.

“It is worth noting that 4,000 people are employed by Aer Lingus and that aviation supports 26,000 jobs directly in this country and some 16,000 jobs in the supply chain.

“We are all concerned that Ireland’s connectivity is not damaged due to this sale. Therefore, the slots, access, entry and continuation of flights from Ireland to Heathrow are of vital national interest. Under the terms of the agreement, the Minister for Finance, in consultation with the Minister for Transport, will ultimately have a veto on the sale of the slots. The issue of sale of the slots cannot legally arise for seven years. This veto is critical.

“During the debate on the Aer Lingus sale I took the opportunity to appeal to Minister Donohoe to deliver on his commitment to use the proceeds of the sale for connectivity. I would like to see some of this money allocated towards broadband in areas like Cavan and Monaghan.”