SINN Féin in Donegal
has slated the Government's "privatisation agenda"
citing the eircom and Aer Lingus cases as examples
of its failure.
The party's county spokesperson, Cllr. Padraig
MacLochlainn, was responding to Minister Mary
Hanafin's view on Aer Lingus that it would be
"inappropriate for the Government to intervene in
the decision-making of a private company".
He said: "Surely government intervention is the very
reason why a 25.1% shareholding in the company was
retained. When Sinn Féin TDs forewarned the then
Minister for Transport Martin Cullen in Dáil debates
of the economically dangerous implications of
privatising the airline the Ministers repeatedly
responded that the Government "shareholding would
safeguard the national strategic interest."
The Buncrana-based town and county councillor said
investment, tourism and indigenous business in the
Mid Western region, dependent on access to markets
provided by the Shannon-Heathrow route, were now
under threat.
"We believe that Aer Lingus can develop its business
opportunities in Belfast while maintaining the
Shannon to Heathrow route. As the company leases a
number of its slots to other carriers I can see no
reason why some cannot be utilised to service the
Belfast routes while preserving the Shannon
service," he said.
"This Government's privatisation agenda is slowly
eroding the delivery of strategic and essential
services, undermining employment, is side-lining
workers terms and conditions while adversely
affecting the country's economic stability.
"Privatisation of strategic services and utilities
cannot deliver the country's economic and social
needs. Aer Lingus and eircom are evidence alone of
this fact," he added. |
