The matter raised by Deputy Clare Daly is an important one. It is a great pity that there is an impending strike at Aer Lingus to be held over the June bank holiday weekend. An awful lot of ordinary working people like to take a break over the June bank holiday weekend and many families want to see their children return home and their relatives come to visit. The proposed strike is a big imposition to place on the ordinary people of Ireland. There are differing views on the merits of it. I argue that both sides should use the mediation machinery of the State to try to resolve the issue. We are all aware of how the people have suffered. Are they to be made suffer again over the June bank holiday weekend? It is unfair and a lesser initiative should be taken. I appeal to both sides to come together and use the mediation machinery of the State to resolve the matter.

On the election, the Minister's words might come back to haunt him. On the strike and the Minister's remark that it is a pity, those for whom it is the greatest pity are the workers who have sought over a period of three years to have an acceptable rostering arrangement put in place to allow them to have a family life.

It is the biggest step for them to have to take. It is only as a last resort. The Minister's answer actually displays an appalling lack of knowledge of the situation on the ground. For three years now, the management of the company, in which the State holds a 25% shareholding, has refused to engage with the cabin crew committee. It is a fact that in recent times it has failed on six successive occasions to attend the Labour Court. Management has issued an instruction to its cabin crew that it will refuse to implement a Labour Court recommendation in that regard.

The Government has the shareholding. Combined with the staff, the Minister has an influence greater than anyone else. Will his answer to this and every other matter be to shrug his shoulders and let somebody else deal with it? Alternatively, will he use his influence to call management to account and allow the workers to work in a decent job that allows them to rear their families and earn a living without being treated as a commodity as part of a race to the bottom, and without being driven out of their jobs because of a lack of family-friendly rosters only to be replaced by casual labour? The Minister probably likes this prospect because it seems to be pretty much akin to Fine Gael policy.

With regard to industrial relations problems, while everybody respects the rights of workers, those rights have to be exercised in a proportionate way. I am simply pointing out that many other workers who were looking forward to a break this weekend will have their plans totally demolished by the action. I appeal to both sides. I am sure there are faults on both sides, although Deputy Daly sees only one side of the spectrum. I would like the conciliation machinery of the State, of which there is a lot, to be used to bring the two sides together to determine whether the strike can be averted-----

Can the Minister intervene then?

-----and whether the issue can be resolved in due course.