Paul Murphy confronts aviation 'bullying' and urges public ownership
Paul Murphy spoke in the Dáil about growing attacks on aviation workers, accusing companies such as Aer Lingus, DAA and Cork Airport of outsourcing, bullying and driving down terms and conditions. He said the state had funnelled millions into these firms without attaching conditions, and he urged public ownership and guarantees that workers would not lose income or jobs during a just transition to a zero carbon economy.
Allegations of 'shock doctrine' in aviation
He framed the industry's response to crisis as an example of Naomi Klein's 'shock doctrine' - using the pandemic to push pre-existing agendas of outsourcing, lower wages and leaner workforces. He reported workers describing company tactics as bullying, thuggery and terrorisation, and he paid tribute to those who stood up and rejected bad deals.
Aer Lingus dispute and state funding
He detailed Aer Lingus's proposals for new work practices and lower pay scales for new entrants and noted workers voted 82% to reject those terms. He criticised the company's response - threatening letters, reduced pay increases, delays until 2025 and planned layoffs from early 2022 - and highlighted state support, citing "150 million in the Strategic Investment Fund" and wage subsidies provided with no conditions.
DAA outsourcing and airport disruption
He said DAA's so-called "new ways of working" amounted to outsourcing, rota changes and undermining demarcation, which workers link to massive queues at Dublin Airport and poor maintenance standards. He described maintenance staff who rejected the deal being outsourced, subsequent votes for industrial action, and the company's threats to seek injunctions and target assets if action proceeded.
Calls for public ownership and protections for workers
He argued Aer Lingus should be returned to public ownership with democratic planning to protect workers and connectivity and to enable a rapid, just transition to a zero carbon economy. He demanded guarantees of no loss of income or jobs, condemned state and semi-state threats against unions and praised workers who democratically resisted attacks on conditions.
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It is over a year now since I described in the Dáil what was happening in aviation as an example of what Naomi Klein calls the shock doctrine, in other words the taking advantage of a real crisis to drive through a pre-existing agenda, in this case to outsource, to drive down workers' wages and conditions, to create a leaner workforce in the interests of profit. And that was what was happening back then and over the last year that process has deepened and has extended itself. The kind of tactics that are being used by companies like Aer Lingus, like DAA, like Cork Airport are outrageous. Bullying, thuggery, terrorisation of their workforces, all words used to me by different groups of workers about what they're experiencing. I want to pay tribute to those workers who have stood up to that bullying, who have voted overwhelmingly to reject bad deals, who have voted in the case of DAA for industrial action. And I want to say shame on the government, shame on the state for funnelling millions and millions of euros that these companies engaged in horrendous attacks on workers' rights and bullying of their own workers without any condition whatsoever. However, no attempt to use any pressure to say you shouldn't be attacking workers in this way. Take the example of Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus attempts to drive through an undermining of terms and conditions, new work practices, new lower pay scales for new entrants. The workers bravely and correctly stand up. They vote democratically by 82% to say no, we don't agree with that. We don't agree with creating this two-tier workforce. We don't agree with undermining terms and conditions. And what's the reaction of the company to that democratic vote? It's to send every one of them an incredibly threatening letter to say instead of going up to the 80% that we previously promised, you're going to stay on 60% of the pay. Let the workers try to pay their mortgages and feed their kids on that. No pay increases until 2025. Layoffs from early 2022. And a series of other measures designed to intimidate those workers for expressing their democratic rights to reject a very bad deal. They should continue to do so. The state has poured millions and millions, 150 million in the strategic investment fund and millions in wage subsidies into Aer Lingus. And there should be conditions attached to those not to attack workers' conditions in this way. In reality, Aer Lingus should be brought back into public ownership with democratic planning to protect workers, to protect connectivity and also to enable a rapid and just transition to a zero carbon economy, which does mean a change in the nature of aviation and a reduction in the amount of aviation, but a change that workers must not pay the price for. They should be guaranteed no loss of income or jobs. And finally, in relation to DAA, which I've raised multiple times in the Dáil. You've got this so-called new ways of working, which is precisely about outsourcing, changing in rotas, undermining of basic conditions, undermining of demarcation. A gun pushed to the head of many groups of workers and many groups of workers were forced under pressure to accept it. It has been a complete disaster. The workers tell me that's the reason. It was because of this outsourcing. That's the reason that we had the massive queues in Dublin Airport a few weeks ago. I've just been sent a video from Dublin Airport of the toilets in a disgraceful condition. As a result of outsourcing, they say very, very clearly it's been a disaster. But a group of workers, the maintenance workers, rejected that. Again, in a democratic vote, they said we don't agree to that. And the response of the company is what? To outsource all of their jobs. That's what the company is doing, to outsource all of their jobs, because they had the temerity to reject a very bad deal. The workers then correctly voted for industrial action. The latest is a letter to the union saying if you proceed with industrial action, we will be taking an injunction against you and threatening the company's assets. They need to stop, it's a semi-state company, stop threatening workers and unions in this way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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