Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2020
622. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will furnish a reply to the issues raised regarding Bord na Móna further to a commitment on 20 May 2020 in Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12184/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Management and Board of Bord na Móna have a responsibility to protect the short- and long-term viability of the company and chose to take action to mitigate against the impact of COVID-19. Due to the sheer scale of the financial impact on Bord na Móna, Bord na Móna decided that it was not possible to retain affected seasonal workers and so in line with long standing arrangements, the Company took the decision to release these seasonal workers in order to retain as many impacted permanent employees as possible. As these workers were out of employment due to the impact of COVID-19, those who met the eligibility criteria set out by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection availed of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
Bord na Móna received expressions of interest for voluntary redundancy from employees across all of its peat operations in December 2019. However, the uncertainty surrounding the peat harvest in 2020 meant that the Company was not in a position to determine how many, if any, voluntary redundancies it could accommodate. Now that the Company has decided to suspend the peat harvest for 2020 and decided to progress its bog rehabilitation schemes it has begun the process of determining the profile of its workforce and, some limited voluntary redundancy applications are being accommodated, in specific areas of its operations.
