Next Wednesday, Aer Lingus pilots will embark on industrial action commencing with an indefinite work to rule. The announcement represents a deepening of the pilots' pay dispute with the company and this dispute did not come out of the blue. The frustration of pilots has been building for a long time as Aer Lingus failed to deliver improvements in pay and conditions in line with colleagues in British Airways and Lufthansa. The airline needs to re-engage with the pilots' union, get back around the negotiating table and hammer out a fair deal. We are still a week away from the start of industrial action so there is still time to sort this out and to avoid any escalation.

We are heading into peak holiday season. There is real worry for people who have booked their summer holidays and are looking forward to a break with their family or friends. Holidaymakers are stressed out that they may face disruption at airports, delays and the prospect of cancellations. Those who may have booked their accommodation separately to their flights risk losing out if their flights are cancelled and may lose money.

The chaos that engulfed Dublin Airport in the summer of 2022 is still very fresh in people's memories, so the sense of anxiety is entirely understandable. The situation is also, of course, very worrying for our tourism sector at what is its busiest time of the year. The sector is still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and hotels, bed and breakfasts, tourist attractions, restaurants and local economies across Ireland need a summertime that goes as smoothly as possible. Any disruption to tourists landing here for holidays is a setback.

The aim now must be to assure people that there will be no disruption to summer in Ireland and to assure holidaymakers flying in and out of the country that their holidays will go ahead as planned. That means resolving this dispute with urgency. Aer Lingus should use the next seven days to negotiate a fair deal with the pilots that averts this industrial action. This must, of course, involve the industrial relations machinery of the State.

Every influence needs to be brought to turn things around and ensure a successful outcome. The key is to get both parties back around the table, with meaningful objectives and a willingness to strike an agreement. Given the serious nature of this dispute, there is a role for Government and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan should intervene in a constructive way to help sort this out.

Is cúis mhór imní é an t-aighneas in Aer Lingus dóibh siúd atá tar éis laethanta saoire a chur in áirithe agus atá le bheith ag taisteal sna seachtainí amach romhainn. Dár n-earnáil turasóireachta, ba chóir don Rialtas idirghabháil a dhéanamh ar bhealach fiúntach chun tacú le socrú cothrom a bhaint amach. A strike is not in anybody's interest. The sooner this dispute is resolved fairly, the better for pilots, the airline, passengers and our tourism and hospitality sector. What does the Government propose to do to avert the industrial action scheduled for next Wednesday?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. She is right. We are not the only ones who are discussing this matter. There are people the length and breadth of the country around their kitchen tables, as well as businesses and people abroad who are looking to come home over the summer, who are extremely concerned and worried about the potential strikes. Families have saved all year round for what are perhaps once-in-a-lifetime holidays. Businesses not just here but abroad depend on the ability to travel. Of course, there are people hoping to come home to see family or friends who have not been home for a long time. This impacts a huge number of people personally, as well as businesses the length and breadth of this country and outside it.

The only way a dispute of this kind can be resolved is by all parties getting around the table. I appreciate that a significant number of pilots have voted for this action, but I also believe that none of them want to see this type of disruption take place. None of them want to have this level of disruption impact all of our society. It is important that they and the employer, that is, Aer Lingus, get around the table. That is the only way in which these issues can be resolved.

There has been input from the industrial machinery of the State, through the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Court. What is clear is that there is still quite a wide gap between what is being asked and what is being proposed. The only way this can be resolved is by all parties getting around the table and, if and where necessary, using the machinery of the State. If that means going back to the WRC, engaging and negotiating with the support of the State or re-engaging with the Labour Court, that is what the Government as a whole is proposing and what both Ministers have suggested.

I ask people to take a step back because the implications are far-reaching. There are implications for those who have holidays booked and wish to travel, as well as our reputation internationally. The disruption that this could cause is significant. The only way this can be resolved is by all parties coming around the table, taking a step back and looking at the potential implications and options to find a resolution. That is what the Government will continue to pursue and that is what our overall objective is, namely to reduce the implications and overall impact on everyone. It is about people getting around the table and trying to reach a conclusion and solution as quickly as possible.

I thank the Minister. I agree with her that this is a source of huge anxiety for many people who have looked forward to their summer holiday and have scrimped and saved for family holidays, holidays with friends, weddings or other family occasions abroad and, as she said, people who are planning to come home. I am also conscious of our hospitality industry, in particular, which has endured so much disruption in recent times and which must despair at the thought of further disruption.

The Minister is quite correct that the only way this can be sorted out is for all parties to come around the table in a spirit of goodwill and a willingness to arrive at a conclusion. However, I am unclear what the Government is proposing to do. It is not sufficient to simply sit back, cross your fingers and hope that is the outcome. If the parties are not of their own volition coming to the table for talks, then it is appropriate for the Government to bring Aer Lingus and the pilots together.

It is absolutely essential that we sort this out. The Government has a week. I ask the Government not to simply stand back and rely on the industrial machinery of the State, which of course must be engaged and has been engaged on multiple occasions. The Government now needs to be more assertive than that and become a broker and a positive influence in sorting this out to bring relief to everybody who wants to have a smooth and indeed prosperous summer.

I am not sure the Government can be any clearer in its approach here. The only way this can be resolved is by parties coming around the table together. The Government cannot force either party to come around the table. What it can do is stress, outline and highlight very clearly the negative implications that this will have for individuals and business throughout this country and also for our reputation, if this were to go ahead. I do not believe pilots want to see that happen. I do not believe Aer Lingus wants to see that happen. That is why I believe both parties will come around the table. The Government has stated clearly that the industrial mechanisms of the State, supported by Government, are ready and available to support both parties but they need to come around the table. There needs to be a willingness there. I believe that willingness is there. The support is available to the parties to do that. That is what the Government will be encouraging and supporting in the coming days before anybody is disrupted in the way the Deputy and I have both outlined.