County Council set for sumer of discontent

Date Published: 14-May-2009

GALWAY County Council is facing into a summer of discontent after up to 350 workers voted for all-out strike action – a move that could shutdown essential services provided by the Council such as water, sewage and road repairs.
Trade Union SIPTU officially informed the County Manager, Martina Maloney, on Monday evening of their intention to go on strike following the issuing of redundancy notices to staff at the Council
in the past month.
Early last month 19 outdoors workers were let go and, according to the union, a further 20 or so have been laid off since following the Government’s decision to slash funding made to the Local Authority.
It is understood the majority of the workers laid-off were working in outdoor employment.
The industrial action, which was agreed after a secret ballot, will mean major disruption to householders all over the county who rely on the Council to provide water, sewage and road repairs – it could mean major delays in emergency repair works on burst pipes, for example.