The Minister for Public Enterprise said that maximising and maintaining employment opportunities at TEAM Aer Lingus is her main concern in dealing with any proposals for the future of the aircraft maintenance company.
Ms O'Rourke was responding to Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West), who said that a proposal for total privatisation was "utter treachery" against a company which was strategically important.
He said that workers were "stunned" to hear that the company wanted to sell off TEAM totally and planned £15,600 in compensation payments to individual workers. He called on TEAM Aer Lingus trade unions and the ICTU to fight the sell-off.
Mr Higgins said that the only interest of a multinational company would be to maximise profits, with the likelihood of it moving TEAM out of the country altogether.
This was a "betrayal" of a company which had made a profit this year, two years ahead of target, after debts of £8.6 million and £28 million in severance payments.
Ms O'Rourke said she shared his concern about safeguarding employment in the Irish aviation industry. This could be done only by ensuring that the industry was viable in the long term.
"The desire to ensure a long-term viable future for TEAM is the prime motivation, I believe, for management's efforts to attract a partner."
Mr Trevor Sargent (Green Party, Dublin North) said the workforce was shocked by the proposal of a 100 per cent sell-off, especially when there was a legal agreement to retain 51 per cent.
The company was now viable, with full order books and with 60 more craftworkers being taken on next week.
Mr G.V. Wright (FF, Dublin North) said, however, that to ensure that 1,600 jobs were maintained the company had to be able to compete on the international market.