Only two employees at the Irish fisheries board, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), have expressed an interest in moving to a new €20 million office complex in Clonakilty under the Government's decentralisation plan, it was claimed today.
Jane Boushell, branch organiser with trade union Siptu said: "Employees in BIM have absolutely no desire to relocate to Clonakilty along with sections of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
"Our members have already pointed out that BIM is already highly decentralised with a presence in Donegal, Galway, Cork, Waterford and Wexford and that a decentralisation plan to Clonakilty will do nothing for the industry or the organisation."
Ms Boushell said the Taoiseach had admitted as recently as last week that few State agency employees wanted to move out of Dublin.
She said that there had never been an agreement on the transfer of staff between State agencies, as was the case with civil servants.
"Therefore, instead of wasting an estimated €20 million taxpayers' money on an office complex which nobody needs, the Government would do better to turn its attention to addressing the horrendous situation which exists in our health services at this time," she said.
Siptu said last month that of almost 1,600 members in 16 State agencies only 56 had indicated a willingness to move out of Dublin.
It said that none of its 178 members at Fáilte Ireland had agreed to move to Mallow and that none of its 98 members in BIM had opted to go to Clonakilty. Just one person out of 89 Siptu members at the National Roads Authority had agreed to go to Ballinasloe, the union said.
In its annual report for 2006, BIM said it had worked closely with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) to finalise its accommodation requirements for its new head office at Clonakilty, to be co-located with the Department's new marine headquarters.
"In its discussions with the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) in June, BIM emphasised the need for negotiations on state agency human resources/industrial relations issues at central level between the Department of Finance (DoF) and Irish Congress of Trade unions (ICTu) public service unions," the agency said.
"The need for such an initiative was accepted by DIG in its report of September 2006 and by Minister Brian Cowen...who recently confirmed that such negotiations are now to take place. For its part, BIM communicated all key developments relating to decentralisation to unions and staff."
The BIM headquarters is due for completion in 2009.