Government must act to save jobs - staff

FORMER SR Technics workers have criticised the Government for its approach to the original offer by Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary to save 500 jobs at Dublin airport.

All who contacted RTÉ’s Liveline programme yesterday said they were willing to work for Ryanair, and the Government must do what it had to in order to save what would now potentially be 300 jobs at the airport.

They warned that the world-class skills base built up in aircraft maintenance in Ireland would be lost forever if something was not done to retain more jobs at the airport.

SR Technics worker Chris Walker, who will be made redundant on Friday after 31 years’ service, said the Government’s approach to the closure of SR Technics was characterised by incompetence from the beginning.

He said a management buyout last April had been turned down by the Government, and that redundancies then started immediately.

“I have been involved heavily in this from the negotiation side and in lobbying Government; I have to believe Michael O’Leary. I haven’t seen much from the Government side to save this industry,” he said.

A worker who had been with SR Technics for 20 years said he was “totally flabbergasted” that the possibility of 500 jobs being kept at the airport had not been pursued, and he accused Tánaiste Mary Coughlan of “pure incompetence” in not taking every avenue to maintain the jobs.

He said he was not bothered that Ryanair was a non-unionised company, as he would do what he had to in order to put “bread on the table”.

Joe Smith, who worked for SR Technics for 30 years and was part of the management team, said the Government had tried to do the right thing, but the “vast majority of the skills base” was being lost.

“If Michael takes further jobs out of Ireland, it will indicate that the Government is not interested in the aviation industry,” he said.