Like everyone else, I share the natural concern that has been expressed about the Liebherr plant in Killarney. Some 160 of its 670 employees voted in a ballot to reject a recommendation of the Labour Court. This is a serious matter. The company which has been operating in Killarney since 1958 has been a kind and generous benefactor to Killarney and the wider region and continues to provide tremendous jobs, as it has done for many years. It would be more than a shame if anything untoward were to happen at this stage. There must be a mechanism available to resolve the issue. I appeal to everyone involved, especially the 160 workers who voted against the recommendation, to step back from the brink.

Many former employees of Liebherr subsequently created other major industries, including Munster Glass.

And the hotel.

Apart from the hotel, some of them were extremely industrious and created other great companies. The company employs 670 people and 20 new trainees were due to start in the plant. This is a difficult problem and I do not have the solution. As was noted yesterday, the machinery of the State is available and the Minister has made a statement on the matter. In fairness to the SIPTU trade union, it issued a statement indicating it wished to engage in dialogue. I hope an individual or expert such as Mr. Kieran Mulvey will quickly become involved.