Trim pool staff told they will lose their jobs

Staff at Trim Swimming Pool were shocked last week to be told by Meath County Council that they are out of a job when the new swimming pool complex opens in the town next year. Amid strong criticism from union SIPTU, the workers affected have vowed to fight the decision. There are currently 17 people employed at Trim Swimming Pool, three on a full-time basis and 14 who are part-time. Many of the employees are long-standing members of staff and have been working there more than 20 years. Shop steward Una Ward said staff were 'shell-shocked' to be told at a meeting on Tuesday of last week that they were being made redundant but said they would 'not be taking this lying down'. She said staff members had been a long time trying to get answers from the council but they had found it difficult to get information as to what was going to happen to them when the new pool opens. An information meeting was called last week when staff were told they were being made redundant and that they were not being redeployed elsewhere in the council. Ms Daly said: 'The council arranged an information meeting with the staff, but the union was not aware what they were going to do, and that they were going to tell members of staff they were being made redundant and there was no work elsewhere for them in Meath County Council. I feel the meeting was designed to condition the staff to think there were no other options.' Ms Ward added that, apart from the full-time staff at the Trim pool, six or seven of the part-timers were totally reliant on their job at the pool and that it was their only job. Some other employees are students and she added that one girl was due to sign on a mortgage next week. 'Some of us are here over 20 years. The meeting was designed to shock the staff. The way it was handled was totally irresponsible. They told us we were unemployable elsewhere in the council and there was no office work and no work in our sister pool in Kells,' she said. Ms Daly also claimed they had been told that it was not the council"s responsibility to help them get jobs in the new facility. She said she felt the council had 'totally washed their hands of them'. The shop steward has also claimed that it was 'opportunistic' of the council to hold the meeting while SIPTU branch secretary, John Regan, was away. She said they would be contacting their local councillors for their help and added that they were not 'going to take this lying down'. Meath County Council"s director of dommunications, Bill Sweeney, said this week: 'Meath County Council has informed the 17 staff who are employed in Trim Pool that, after serious consideration, it has been decided to make them redundant on the opening of the new leisure complex. Unfortunately, redeployment is not an option in this case as the new complex will be privately operated.' Mr Sweeney added that a meeting has been arranged with the employees" union for 15th October to discuss the details of the redundancy package. He also said that while there were three full-time staff and 14 part-time staff affected, this is the equivalent to seven full-time posts. Mr Sweeney said the decision was being made because there would be a private franchise operating the new Trim pool complex and that the decision had nothing to do with the current economic situation. The regional secretary of SIPTU, Christy McQuillan, has deplored the action of the local authority in the case of the Trim swimming pool workers. Mr McQuillan criticised the local authority for taking 'unilateral' action and not showing respect for the long commitment and service of the workers affected. He added that the local authority had obligations under the Towards 2016 national agreement and he said the matter would be referred to the implementation body for this pact. He added that the union was not accepting that there was no other option for these workers but to lose their jobs. A meeting is to take place with the relevant parties next week. Efforts to raise the plight of the Trim swimming pool workers at Meath County Council"s October monthly meeting were ruled out of order by the chairperson, Cllr Liz McCormack. Councillors were told this was solely an executive matter. Meanwhile, Trim Sinn Fein Councillor Caroline Lynch has accused the council of 'delivering the worst possible scenario' and has called for the council"s decision to be revoked. She said: 'I have met with the shop steward who confirmed that staff at Trim Pool were informed that they will be made redundant. This is the worst possible scenario available to council management and their rationale and method leaves much to be desired. Staff were informed when their union representative, branch secretary John Regan, was not present and was unaware of the substantive issues raised.' 'I am calling on council management to revoke this decision and offer redeployment to these skilled workers. No firm commitment has been made for up-skilling and the council"s HR department has not carried out a review of current skills,' Cllr Lynch added.