SIPTU and meat producers to seek meeting with the HSE to discuss improved testing at plants

10 August 2020

SIPTU has called for the acceptance of a charter fully outlining adequate Covid-19 prevention procedures at Irish meat plants following a meeting between union and industry representatives in Dublin today (Monday, 10th August), where it was agreed to jointly seek a meeting with the HSE.
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Irish Equity concerned at remarks by Minister for Social Protection about artists

05 August 2020

Irish Equity members have welcomed the clarification by the Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development, Heather Humphreys, on her earlier comments made last weekend regarding the future expectations of work within the Arts in Ireland.
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SIPTU seeks oversight by worker representatives of stimulus grants

23 July 2020

SIPTU General Secretary, Joe Cunningham, has asked the Government to ensure that workers and their representatives are involved in the distribution and monitoring of the grants and subsidies included in the €5 billion stimulus plan announced today.
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SIPTU to discuss Covid-19 infection rates among healthcare workers at Oireachtas Committee

20 July 2020

SIPTU representatives will attend the Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee tomorrow (Tuesday, 21st July) to discuss coronavirus infection rates among healthcare workers.
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SIPTU members at Aer Lingus reject management’s pay and job proposals

14 July 2020

SIPTU members at Aer Lingus have voted by 55% to 45% to reject the Covid-19 crisis recovery plan proposed by the airline.
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SIPTU pays tribute to public service workers on UN Public Service Day

23 June 2020

SIPTU representatives joined with trade unions across Europe today (Tuesday, 23rd June) to celebrate the contribution of public service workers on United Nations Public Service Day.
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SIPTU Health representatives to tell Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee of flawed government approach to childcare

22 June 2020

SIPTU representatives will meet the Special Oireachtas Committee on Covid-19 tomorrow (Tuesday, 23rd June) to discuss the issue of childcare for essential health workers during the health crisis.
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Irish Equity says support measures for the Arts do not go far enough

22 June 2020

Irish Equity has today (Monday, 22nd June) called on the Government to put artists and arts workers first in planning for the recovery.
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SIPTU calls on CIF to ensure members availing of state subsidy scheme are paying workers full rates

12 June 2020

SIPTU has today called on the Construction Industry Federation to ensure its members are fully compliant with the Sectoral Employment Order (SEO), and Collective Agreements. The union is warning employers that they cannot avoid full compliance during the pandemic crisis. John Regan, SIPTU Sector Organiser for the Construction Sector said that, “There is emerging evidence that some employers who are using the temporary wage subsidy scheme are not topping up payments to meet the legally binding gross rate of pay for construction workers
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SIPTU: Childcare Reopening Funding Fall Short for Educators

10 June 2020

Funding for the reopening of childcare services, announced today (10th June) by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, has failed to address the major issues facing Early Years Educators, according to SIPTU.
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SIPTU welcomes early reopening of major Tourist attractions in Mid-West

10 June 2020

Two of the most important tourist attractions in the Mid-West, Bunratty Castle & Folk Park and King John’s Castle, Limerick, will reopen their doors to the public from June 29th instead of July 20th. SIPTU has welcomed the decision, which is in line with changes to the road map for recovery announced by the Government on 4th June.
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SIPTU has called on Shannon Heritage to reopen fully and give regional tourism a much needed boost

05 June 2020

SIPTU representatives have met with Shannon Heritage over its decision not to reopen its’ sites on a fulltime basis, contrary to the Government’s return to work protocol.
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SIPTU concerned at Shannon Heritage decision not to reopen sites on a full-time basis

03 June 2020

SIPTU representatives are to meet with Shannon Heritage, one of Ireland’s leading heritage tourism operators tomorrow (Thursday 4th June) over its decision not to reopen sites on a full-time basis in line with the Government’s return to work protocol.
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SIPTU welcomes the commitment from Minister Harris to address Union members concerns over the availability of infection rate data

02 June 2020

This morning, (Tuesday, 2nd June) SIPTU representatives held a highly productive meeting with the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, at which union officials outlined the serious concerns members have over the need for full and transparent data to be made available concerning the 7,900 health workers who have contracted the Covid-19 virus.
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SIPTU says health workers have a right to the truth

01 June 2020

SIPTU Health Division representatives have today (Monday, 1st June) called on the Minister for Health, Simon Harris to ensure information relating to the Covid-19 infection rates of all health workers is released without delay.
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Worker representatives needed on Tourism Task Force to ensure a safe reopening of the sector

01 June 2020

SIPTU Hospitality Sector Organiser Martin O’Rourke has criticised the decision of the Government not to include worker representatives on the recently established Task Force charged with providing a safe, quality environment in which the hospitality industry can reopen safely during the current Covid-19 pandemic. He said that a survey of members showed widespread concern at the risks they face, as well as continuing problems over sexual harassment and bullying that urgently need to be addressed.
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SIPTU demands a voice for health workers on Nursing Home Expert Panel

24 May 2020

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Sunday 24th, May) condemned the failure of Government to include a voice for health workers on the Nursing Home Expert Panel, established by Minister for Health, Simon Harris, in response to the performance of the sector dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak.
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SIPTU representatives call on Aer Lingus to ensure current pay arrangements continue

22 May 2020

SIPTU representatives at Aer Lingus have called on the company to continue with current pay arrangements following a statement by the company that it will unilaterally cut pay and working hours after 21st June.
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TUF agrees additional layer of protection for construction workers with CIF

21 May 2020

The Trade Union Federation, comprising Ireland's largest construction unions, SIPTU, BATU and Connect have signed a landmark agreement with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to ensure the safety of workers across the industry.
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SIPTU and MRCI complain to HSA over its failure to inspect meat plants

20 May 2020

SIPTU representatives and the Migrants Rights Council of Ireland (MRCI) have written to the chief executive of the Health And Safety Authority (HSA) to complain about its failure to carry out inspections in meat plants across the country where there have been more than 850 cases of Coronavirus. The union and the MRCI were responding to remarks made to the Oireachtas committee on Covid-19 yesterday by the chief executive of the HSA, Dr Sharon McGuinness.
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SIPTU calls for discussions with daa over planned reduction in numbers employed in Dublin and Cork airports

19 May 2020

SIPTU representatives have called for urgent discussions with the management of the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) after the announcement today that the company is seeking to reduce the workforce in Dublin and Cork airports by up to 1000 people.
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SIPTU demands government action to combat the rising numbers of health workers testing positive for Covid-19

18 May 2020

SIPTU Health Division representatives have today (Monday, 18th May) demanded that the Government publishes a full and transparent breakdown of the health settings where over 7,600 workers have now tested positive for Covid-19.
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Construction unions call on employers to ensure extra protections for workers

17 May 2020

The Trade Union Federation (TUF), which includes SIPTU, BATU and CONNECT trade unions, have called on construction employers to ensure that maximum protection is provided for workers when they return to work tomorrow.
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SIPTU members seek mandatory face covering for public transport

15 May 2020

SIPTU transport representatives have called for the mandatory introduction of face masks for passengers using public bus, rail and tram services. They said that its members are disappointed at the announcement today (Friday, 15th May) by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, that the Government is to issue an ‘advisory notice’ to the public to wear face coverings.
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SIPTU calls for meat industry task force to confront Covid-19

15 May 2020

SIPTU Manufacturing Division Organiser, Greg Ennis, has called for the immediate creation of a ‘Farm to Fork’ meat industry taskforce to deal with the spread of Covid-19, with more than 600 cases of the virus reported in plants across the country.
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SIPTU demands Government intervention to protect agency workers

10 May 2020

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Sunday 10th, May) demanded immediate government intervention to ensure that all health workers who are battling to stop the spread of Covid-19 are treated equally.
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SIPTU says government must immediately revise childcare policy for essential workers

05 May 2020

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Tuesday, 5th May) called on the Government to immediately revise the date for the reopening of childcare facilities and to offer a special “annual leave credit” for all health and essential workers.
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SIPTU calls for detailed discussions on Aer Lingus plans for job losses

01 May 2020

SIPTU representatives have today (1st May) called for detailed discussions with management in Aer Lingus following the announcement that the company intends to cut job numbers by 20%.
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SIPTU secures pay for student radiographers working on Covid-19 frontline

01 May 2020

SIPTU representatives have today (Friday, 1st May) confirmed the union has secured an agreement offering student radiographers working on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis a paid contract of employment.
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SIPTU calls for temperature testing and PPE for meat and dairy plant workers

01 May 2020

SIPTU representatives have called for the mandatory temperature testing and the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for workers in meat and dairy processing plants following the confirmation of clusters of Covid-19 infections in a number of facilities.
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Unions condemn Bord na Móna move to remove workers from payroll

30 April 2020

The Bord na Móna (BNM) Group of Unions has condemned the decision of management at the semi-state company to attempt to proceed today (Thursday, 30th April) with the removal of workers from its payroll.
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SIPTU calls for agreement on safety measures before construction return to work

30 April 2020

SIPTU representatives have raised serious concerns with proposed return to work measures for the construction industry and called for agreement on a protocol for the sector which prioritises the safety of workers.
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SIPTU seeks agreement with HSE on deployment of Section 39 workers

22 April 2020

SIPTU representatives are seeking assurances that staff working for Section 39 employers are not forced to re-deploy to HSE facilities to which they have no contractual obligations or the necessary qualifications to care for vulnerable patients. Section 39 employers include private sector care suppliers in the private sector which receive public funding through the HSE.
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SIPTU and Migrant Rights Centre raise concerns over safety at Liffey Meats in Cavan

28 April 2020

SIPTU and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) have called on the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to immediately inspect the Liffey Meats facility in Ballyjamesduff, county Cavan, to ensure its compliance with Covid-19 precautions.
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SIPTU says government childcare plan has caused huge anger on Covid frontline

23 April 2020

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Thursday, 23rd April) said the Government’s plan to meet the childcare needs of health and other essential workers falls well short of what is required by all workers on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis.
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Patricia King praises workers who put themselves at risk serving their communities

21 April 2020

The Congress executive expressed its enormous gratitude to the thousands of workers in all sectors of the economy – private, public, community and voluntary – who continue to provide essential services on the island of Ireland, often at considerable personal risk to themselves.
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SIPTU says government should take control of private nursing homes

21 April 2020

SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, has called on the Government to bring the private nursing home sector into State control for the period of the Covid-19 crisis as it did with the private hospitals. According to the Department of Health, some 40% of Covid-19 infections have occurred in the nursing home sector.
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Covid-19: Is the pandemic our ‘1945 moment’?

20 April 2020

New government will need progressive counterweight to centre-right to avoid past mistakes
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SIPTU says childcare wage subsidy scheme important development for Early Years sector

17 April 2020

The SIPTU Big Start National Committee has said that the introduction of the Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (WSCS), which was announced yesterday (Thursday, 16th April), will greatly assist in maintaining a skilled workforce in the Early Years sector.
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SIPTU members mourn deaths of two health workers in Kilkenny

16 April 2020

SIPTU Health Division has expressed its condolences to the families of two health workers at St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny who died after contracting the coronavirus.
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Removing Wage Subsidy Anomalies for Low and Middle-Income Workers

15 April 2020

Today, Government announced that it is taking steps to address anomalies in the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme which leaves low and middle-income workers at a financial disadvantage to jobseekers in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
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SIPTU and HSE agree redeployment of health workers to private nursing homes

15 April 2020

SIPTU representatives have today confirmed (Wednesday 15th, April) that agreement has been reached with the Health Service Executive (HSE) on the voluntary redeployment of health workers to private nursing homes to assist in their efforts to defeat the Covid-19 virus.
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SIPTU calls for increased support for artists unable to avail of Covid Unemployment Payment

14 April 2020

SIPTU and Irish Equity have written to the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, calling for the Government to urgently increase the financial support for workers in the Arts sector who have been unable to avail of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
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SIPTU urges immediate action to address growing childcare crisis for essential workers

14 April 2020

SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 14th April) demanded that the Government gets to grips with the growing childcare crisis facing health and other essential workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.
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SIPTU representatives call on Minister for Health to intervene on student radiographers pay

07 April 2020

SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 7th April) called on the Minister for Health, Simon Harris to intervene and approve pay for student radiographers working in the health service in the fight against COVID-19.
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SIPTU calls for analysis of COVID-19 positive health settings

04 April 2020

SIPTU representatives have today (Saturday, 4th April) requested that public health officials provide a detailed breakdown to Union representatives of the health settings where over 900 workers have now tested positive for COVID-19.
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SIPTU members in Cork County Council operate new Covid-19 Community Support Programme

03 April 2020

SIPTU members employed by Cork County Council will assist vulnerable people in the community with tasks such as grocery shopping and the collection of prescriptions as part of a newly established COVID-19 Community Support Programme.
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TUF serves claim on construction companies for payment of agreed rates during Covid-19 crisis

03 April 2020

The Trade Union Federation (TUF) has served a formal claim on the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) seeking payment for workers of the agreed industry rates during the Covid-19 crisis.
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SIPTU calls for access to Wage Subsidy Scheme for childcare owner managers

02 April 2020

SIPTU representatives have called for owner managers in childcare services to be treated as employees under the Wage Subsidy Scheme, which is administered by the Revenue Commissioners.
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ICTU Calls for further measures to prevent sudden COVID-19 job losses from becoming permanent job losses

02 April 2020

Responding to today’s CSO Live Register release, which showed an increase in the seasonally-adjusted Live Register, from 182,800 in February to 207,200 in March and the fact that a further 283,000 were in receipt of the new Pandemic Unemployment Payment and 25,100 of the Temporary COVID-19 wage subsidy scheme, Patricia King, General-Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said the increases were ‘clear indications of the appalling economic devastation caused by COVID-19’.
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SIPTU welcome calls to prioritise COVID-19 testing of all health workers

02 April 2020

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Thursday, 2nd April) welcomed the call from leading infectious disease specialists calling on the Government to prioritise the testing of all health care workers for COVID-19.
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SIPTU seeks government action to address childcare crisis for all essential workers

31 March 2020

SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 31st March) demanded that the Government immediately publishes a strategic and sustainable plan that puts childcare arrangements in place for all essential workers for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.
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ITF Seafarers’ Trust pledges £1 million to support seafarers and maintain welfare services hit by Covid-19

31 March 2020

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust (ITFST) is today launching an emergency fund to address the impact of the global pandemic on seafarers and their families. The fund also aims to provide a lifeline for welfare services at risk due to the financial impact the virus has had on business and fundraising and activities.
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TUF calls for laid off construction workers to receive industry rates during work suspension

30 March 2020

The Trade Union Federation (TUF) has called on companies to ensure laid off construction workers are paid no less than the minimum rates for the industry for the duration of the suspension of their work. The TUF which comprises SIPTU, BATU and Connect trade unions has also called for strict adherence by employers to the instruction by the government to close all non-essential building sites.
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SIPTU calls for reduced passenger numbers on public transport to protect users from COVID-19

27 March 2020

SIPTU Transport Sector Organiser, John Murphy, has called for an immediate reduction of passenger numbers on public transport services in order to protect passengers and staff from the COVID-19 virus. He also called on the National Transport Authority (NTA) to reverse its decision to reduce public transport services from 1st April in order to prevent overcrowding and a breach of social distancing requirements.
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SIPTU calls for ‘fast track’ access for services to COVID-19 childcare scheme

27 March 2020

SIPTU has called for all childcare services in financial difficulty to have ‘fast track’ access to the Early Learning and Care Sustainability Fund, which was announced this week as part of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
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SIPTU seeks immediate closure of workplaces and sites where workers are at risk of COVID-19 virus

26 March 2020

SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, Gerry McCormack has said that health and safety standards to protect workers from the Covid-19 virus should be enforced at all construction sites and other workplaces, and if not, they should be immediately closed down.
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SIPTU welcomes COVID-19 Childcare Support Scheme

26 March 2020

SIPTU has welcomed the introduction of a scheme to support the childcare sector during the Covid-19 emergency, the details of which were released yesterday (25th March).
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SIPTU expresses concern over rising number of health workers testing positive for COVID-19

25 March 2020

SIPTU Health representatives have today (Wednesday, 25th March) expressed concerns over the increase in the number of health workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 virus. The numbers confirmed by the Department of Health indicate that health care workers make up 26% of all cases identified in the State.
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SIPTU supports new wage compensation scheme and increase in COVID-19 emergency payment

24 March 2020

SIPTU General Secretary, Joe Cunningham, has welcomed the Government’s wage compensation scheme which was announced today (Tuesday, 24th March) and is intended to retain workers in employment.
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SIPTU raises safety concerns for Early Years educators in Covid-19 childcare scheme

24 March 2020

SIPTU has called on the Government to ensure that any childcare scheme established to provide for the care of the children of frontline staff must fully adhere to advice from HSE on how to limit the spread of infection among childcare workers.
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SIPTU General Secretary calls for wage subsidy scheme, increased welfare payments and a national emergency programme to deal with COVID-19 emergency

19 March 2020

SIPTU General Secretary, Joe Cunningham, has called on the Government to introduce an extensive wage subsidy scheme to keep employees in work during the COVID-19 emergency. In a letter to An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, today, Joe Cunningham also called for an immediate increase in Jobseekers’ Benefit and other payments such as the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, to €305 per week.
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SIPTU members in DFB to ensure Emergency Medical Service operates during crisis

17 March 2020

SIPTU members in the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) have reassured the public that they are actively working with management to ensure the Emergency Medical Service they operate is maintained throughout the unfolding Covid-19 crisis.
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Daa Unions call for suspension of State dividend to allow supports for airport workers

16 March 2020

The daa ICTU Unions, SIPTU, Mandate, Forsa, Connect and Unite have today called for the daa to suspend the planned dividend to allow for the funds to be used to support airport workers over the coming period.
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