O'Rourke says Aer Lingus workers will be consulted

The Minister for Public Enterprise Mary O’Rourke is insisting she will not consider selling Aer Lingus to another airline without consulting the workforce first.

Minister O’Rourke has been responding to reports of a possible sell off. The opposition says the minister is "hawking" the national carrier around the world.

Unions at the company appear to have been taken by surprise by today’s reports. One of the main unions involved, IMPACT, is even threatening industrial action. However, Minister O’Rourke says such a move would be unhelpful.

The Labour Party Spokesperson on Public Enterprise, Deputy Emmet Stagg, says the proposal can only anger staff and further undermine morale at a time when the airline is already experiencing major difficulties.

He argues that as an island nation reliant on tourism we are heavily dependent on an efficient, reliable national carrier.