Council maintenance staff stage 24-hour strike action

STAFF from South Dublin County Council’s housing and maintenance depot held a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, calling on the council to allow them to carry out their “core work” instead of hiring contractors.

John Lowe, a carpenter who has worked for the council since October 2004, said labourers in the council’s housing and maintenance department, including plumbers and painters, are frustrated with the council’s use of contractors for work that could be carried out by council employees.

“They’ve been giving out more and more of our work to contractors,” Mr Lowe told The Echo.

“They’re refusing to give us back our core work. When I started 15 years ago, we were doing relets, where we’d do up houses for the council before the tenants moved in.

“Now that work is all going to contractors.

“Then two or three months down the line we’re called in to do repairs on the work the contractors have done – we’re going in to fix their mistakes.

“I was at a relet recently, I wasn’t doing carpentry in it, but there was a contractor doing all of the tiling, plumbing and carpentry.

“These contractors are getting well paid, but the standard of some of the work I’ve seen is disgraceful.”

According to Mr Lowe, morale among housing and maintenance staff in the council’s Jobstown depot is low and is exacerbated by low staffing levels and work being passed on to contractors.

“It’s degrading,” he added. “Most of the time I’m sitting in the depot with nothing to do because the contractors are getting all of the work.

“And when a carpenter leaves, they should be replaced, but instead of recruiting someone the council just gives the jobs to contractors.”

SIPTU members from the depot voted in favour of the 24-hour work stoppage on Wednesday, which saw staff form picket lines at the depot in Jobstown and County Hall in Tallaght.

Brendan O’Brien, sector organiser for SIPTU, said: “We’re looking for a commitment from the council that they will maintain the existing headcount in the depot and open up a dialogue about working with direct labour instead of contractors.

“The work that was done by direct labour before is being done by contractors, and the issue we’re having is that is trading our work and we want it back.”

Mr O’Brien added this is part of a wider issue with contractors being used by the council, and he expects there will be work stoppages by other outdoor council staff in the coming weeks as they’re facing similar issues.

A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council was contacted for comment, but a response wasn’t received in time for print.