Fórsa has called on the Government to “wake up” to the ongoing crisis in Irish aviation after Stobart Air today (Saturday) announced it has ceased operations and is going into liquidation. The union, which represents 120 cabin crew in the airline, along with pilots, said staff based in Dublin, Cork and Belfast were devastated at hearing the news this morning.
Fórsa national secretary Ashley Connolly said Stobart had been working with the union to try to navigate a path through the pandemic. For over a year, unions have been seeking a bespoke package of industry supports – including income supports – to ensure that Ireland has a post-Covid aviation sector.
Loyal and long-service Stobart staff, who have been through 16 months of financial hardship and uncertainty, are devastated this morning.
“The Stobart collapse means services to Kerry and Donegal are now in the balance, just a month after Aer Lingus announced the closure of its Shannon base. Loyal and long-service Stobart staff, who have been through 16 months of financial hardship and uncertainty, are devastated this morning. The industry has effectively lost a second summer to the pandemic, with no early recovery on the horizon. What will it take for the Government to wake up and act?
“The Government needs to decide if the crisis in this vital industry is to be permanent or temporary. Only the State has the power and resources to preserve Ireland’s vital international connectivity – the connectivity that supports thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs – over the coming months, and possibly years,” she said.
A devastating morning for @forsa_union_ie members and other workers in Stobart. The inevitable consequence of government delay and the failure to heed our warnings of the need for specific aviation supports. @MichealMartinTD @LeoVaradkar @EamonRyan https://t.co/bpb1o9jUdx
— Kevin Callinan (@kcallinan50) June 12, 2021
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