Ambassador hails mighty ‘relief’ for Aughinish jobs as sanctions lifted
Aughinish Alumina workers in Limerick will be “mightily relieved” after the US Senate backed the US Treasury Department’s decision to lift sanctions on companies linked to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.
That is according to Daniel Mulhall, Irish ambassador to the US, as he hailed the decision from US lawmakers that he said would help preserve 75,000 jobs across Europe linked to the industry.
Around 700 workers and contractors are employed at the Aughinish Alumina plant near Askeaton, which has been described as one of Limerick’s best employers.
Aughinish owner Rusal is in turn majority-owned by a company controlled by Mr Deripaska, who has come under fire from Democrats and Republicans over perceived close tied to the Kremlin.
The US imposed sanctions on Mr Deripaska’s companies last April, throwing the market into weeks of instability, and leaving the jobs in Aughinish under a cloud.
The sanctions means Rusal could only work with existing customers and not sign new long-term deals.
However, a threatened rebellion from Republican senators earlier this week to vote to overturn the Treasury’s decision to end sanctions on companies like Rusal did not materialise.
Mr Mulhall wrote on Twitter that while he had no sympathy for the likes of Mr Deripaska, the Irish position was that “sanctions should punish the guilty oligarchs while sparing innocent workers in the west of Ireland who do not deserve to lose their jobs”.
Those whose jobs have been saved will be mightily relieved. Sanctions need to be deployed carefully so as to punish guilty parties while avoiding economic damage to friendly countries.
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said sanctions were intended to target Mr Deripaska and not the companies involved.
