Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a bheith anseo anocht chun an cheist seo a phlé. My colleague, Deputy Cullinane, set out the position in his contribution. He and I met with this group of former Waterford Crystal workers just last week. To be honest, they are worn out by this. They have been at it for years. They have had years of being fobbed off. These are decent, hardworking men. They worked hard and honestly for Waterford Crystal. They were made redundant. They were kept in the dark at that time about their options. In fact, they were never told about their options. That failure to inform them has cost them real money and it is money that would have made a real difference in their lives up until now. If this is resolved, that money could make a very real difference to their lives. Time is not on the side of these individuals. Whatever way we cut it, and whatever happened in the early nineties, the State had, and has, a duty to protect its citizens, underwrite fairness, guarantee justice and ensure rights are upheld. When workers are made redundant, through no fault of their own, they must have the ability to make decisions with information. Informed consent is at the core of everything. These workers did not get that and, instead of fixing it, the Government is washing its hands and ignoring them. It is not good enough and it needs to be resolved. Critically, these men want to meet with the Minister so that he can hear their story about the injustice done to them and how it has impacted their lives. Following that, they want him to resolve it. That is where he can make the difference. For decades, these men have been ignored and the injustice of what was done to them explained away. The goalposts shifted, with previous Ministers saying one thing and Ministers of State on local radio saying another, while responses to parliamentary questions said another thing entirely. That is not good enough. I implore the Minister to meet these men, hear them out and do everything he can, with his officials, to work on a solution that will give them some comfort and justice as they finish their retirement.

Sentiment score: 0.00

The Minister stated in his response: "The question regarding the provision of leaving service options is one for the employer and the trustees, rather than the State." The first part of the sentence is true. At the time these workers were made redundant, it was incumbent on the employer and the trustees to provide full information. The State, however, has a role in vindicating rights and ensuring compliance with not just the letter but the spirit of the law. It must ensure, in instances where there is a difference in power, such as a large multinational company making workers in Waterford redundant, that it is on the side of the workers and that there is fair play. Fairness and justice were not applied here. That happened on the State’s watch and that of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The Minister and the Government have legal advice that says they can just sit on their hands and let this injustice continue. This comes down to a political decision. It comes down to a choice of values and a matter of justice. The Minister has a political decision to either sit on his hands or meet these workers halfway and make a reasonable attempt to resolve this issue. Birthdays come around every year and time is not on the side of these former Waterford Crystal workers. In the last line of the Minister’s response, he state: I do not [believe] a meeting is warranted. I [trust] this clarifies the matter for [the Deputy]." It is crystal clear, in the last line of his response outlining that a meeting is not warranted, that he is refusing to meet with this group of workers who have suffered an injustice. At the very least, sit down with them and hear the impact of their stories. Let us work to get a resolution for these men.

Sentiment score: 0.14