BYCC staff continue sit-in protest as centre remains closed
Staff at the Brookfield Youth and Community Centre continue to stage a sit-in protest after they were issued with immediate redundancy last Friday when the management company who were operating the building announced they had ceased trading.
Meetings within South Dublin County Council have been ongoing since Monday, and others including the staff’s union representatives have been attempting to meet council officials in an attempt to reach an agreement.
On Sunday many from the Brookfield community came out in support of the workers, and in a statement released to Echo.ie, the council said they are “committed to ensuring that a proper community resource replaces the services previously provided by the company.”
Added to this, SDCC went on to say while they have “no involvement or responsibility in respect of the business affairs of the company, [the council] is anxious to secure first and foremost the physical structure of the building and ensure that the security of it and the status of it is maintained.”
In what is a stressful time for the staff who remain inside the building having lost their jobs, the outcome is still unclear, but they have said the closure of the centre is having a devastating effect on them and the community, especially the young people who use it on a daily basis.
A statement from the staff involved this afternoon went on to say: “We will continue to carry on with our sit-in protest until there is a resolve that will ensure our community centre is re-open and our jobs secured.”
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and local Dublin South West TD, Katherine Zappone has also issued a statement today in which she said alternative venues for services aimed at young people in the Brookfield area are being identified as efforts continue to find a solution which will allow the re-opening of the local Youth and Community Centre.
Minister Zappone went on to say officials from her office “are engaged with both the Council and the Training Board to achieve this goal.”
TAGS news
