ÚDARÁS NA Gaeltachta confirmed last night that water supplies had been restored to the Aran island of Inis Meáin, following day-long negotiations to restore basic services.
Siptu has called on Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs Pat Carey to intervene “immediately” over the lack of any effective co-op on the island which has left the 200-strong population without an air service – and with a continuing uncertainty over other services.
Údarás na Gaeltachta chief executive Pádraig Ó hAoláin said that “long-term issues” with the island’s co-op, Comharchumann Inis Meáin Teo, needed to be resolved.
The Gaeltacht authority pays a grant to the island co-op, which pays for the manager and administration. The island’s desalination plant is run by Fuinneamh Glas Teo, on behalf of the co-op.
The Department of Gaeltacht Affairs pays the cost of running the island’s airstrip, and this is administered by the co-op.
However, there has been no co-op board for the past six weeks, and both State bodies have had difficulties with continuing subsidies as a result. This left four airstrip maintenance staff and the operator of the desalination plant without their wages. The Irish Aviation Authority and Aer Arann suspended flights to the island.
The dispute on Inis Meáin dates back several years and came to a head when irregularities were found by the Revenue Commissioners in the co-op’s tax returns. Four holiday homes owned by a subsidiary of the co-op were sold to clear the Revenue debt. However, Údarás na Gaeltachta had been unhappy with aspects of the co-op board for some time, and a series of temporary managers had been seconded.
About six weeks ago, the authority wrote to the co-op shareholders and informed them them of its views on the situation and asked that the board resign. No islanders appeared to be willing to stand for election to the committee at a subsequent agm.
Siptu represents nine staff involved in providing island services, four of whom are based at the airstrip and one at the desalination plant. “These people didn’t receive their wages last week, and when they worked on Monday and Tuesday of this week they were informed there was no one to pay them,” Siptu regional organiser Michael Kilcoyne said.
“This isn’t just an issue about money,” he said. “It is an issue of management, and there is now no one to give these people instructions, or to take responsibility in relation to issues such as health and safety at the airstrip.”
The department said the dispute was between Comharchumann Inis Meáin Teo and its staff; therefore any questions should be addressed to those parties.
“As Comharchumann Inis Meáin Teo is apparently no longer in a position to fulfil its contract with the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs to provide management services at the island’s airstrip, the department has entered into discussions with other parties regarding the provision of these services in the short term,” it said.