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Redundancy fears for
Inishowen Co-Op
16.07.08
by Liam Porter,
Inishowen Independent
WORKERS at the Inishowen Co-Op have had hours cut as
a result of the slow down in the building industry
and between six and ten lay offs could be on the
cards in the near future if things don’t pick up, a
meeting of concerned construction industry
representatives heard at the weekend.
Speaking at a meeting in the Inishowen Gateway on
Friday, Co-Op spokesperson Paddy Gallen thanked
local contractors for their business, but said that
there were uncertain and challenging times ahead.
Explaining that the Co-Op has already had to cut
some staff hours, he suggested that if the building
trade continues as it is at present, the Co-Op may
be forced into making between six and ten people
redundant.
“I suppose I really am appealing to the council, to
the councillors and the council staff – please don’t
shut down the building trade in Inishowen.” |
Friday’s meeting had
seen over forty construction industry
representatives including developers and architects
agree to the formation of a new group called the
Construction Industry of Inishowen after serious
concerns were raised about lack of development in
the peninsula.
Concerns were raised that developments were being
refused |
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on the grounds of
inadequate water supplies or sewage, but it was
claimed that these terms were not being consistently
applied and some developments were being allowed to
go ahead where others nearby were not.
The meeting heard that even though local developers
had come together to offer to pay to bring water
from the Pollan Dam to the east of the peninsula,
developments were still being turned down by the
council on the grounds of lack of water.
Martin O’Donnell from MH Associates who outlined to
the meeting that he had been negotiating with the
council regarding solutions to water and sewage
problems, insisted that while the council’s planning
department were being co-operative, the sanitary
services department were much less so.
Indeed that department came in for scathing
criticism at the meeting with local councillors Rena
Donaghey and Marian McDonald also suggesting that
they found it difficult to get answers from the
sanitary services section which later in the meeting
received a unanimous vote of no confidence.
The newly formed group is now hoping to attend a
meeting of the Inishowen electoral area as soon as
possible in an effort to highlight their concerns to
councillors and officials. |
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