Fórsa has backed calls for a system of Covid-19 testing of airline passengers as part of a suite of measures to safely assist the aviation sector and the thousands of workers – including in tourism – that depend on it.

Last week, Fórsa urged transport minister Eamon Ryan to work to get the system in place rapidly. The union also recently expressed disappointment that Budget 2021 contained no specific measures to support jobs in the sector, which is among the hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis. 

Fórsa general secretary, Kevin Callinan also raised the need for a Government-led initiative at a meeting of the main Government-employer-union social dialogue forum last week. He told the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), which is chaired by An Taoiseach and includes senior ministers, that unions and employers should also be involved in coordinated measures to save jobs and incomes in the sector.

Kevin called for the development of a specific long-term plan for the industry, with appropriate Government supports.

“The announcements and threats of redundancies at some airlines runs contrary to this approach and is entirely inconsistent with the spirit in which we have collectively engaged with the challenges and hardships presented by the pandemic,” he said.

Fórsa has lobbied for Government supports for the aviation industry, on the basis of the economic importance of Ireland’s air connectivity, since the pandemic struck Ireland in March. But the union says support to airlines should be contingent on guarantees against compulsory redundancies or offshoring of services currently staffed by Irish staff and crew.

Fórsa official, Ashley Connolly called on the Government to work with aviation unions and other stakeholders to ensure that the industry survives the crisis.

“The aviation industry has been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic and, unlike the last recession when it was among the first sectors to recover, most industry observers believe it will be among the last this time. The Government needs to do more and do it quickly,” she said.

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