Building and Allied Trade Union (BATU) pickets Ballymun Civic Offices

by cat Thu Jul 05, 2007 13:59

Photograph of protest by BATU and residents in Ballymun

Memberws of Batu and Ballymun residents demonstrating outside the Civic Offices in Ballymun

by Alan o' B - B.A.T.U Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:27

Last Wednesday myself, another local bricklayer and two of the B.A.T.U officials held a meeting with Eamon Farrelly and two of his colleagues. They stated that they were not aware that any abuses of the REA were being commited. Then they assured us that they would look into the issue further. I was informed yesterday that their investigations led them to discover that the Marphil Construction Ltd. is not a registered member of the C.I.F, and because the company is not registered, the sub-contractor does not have to adhere to the R.E.A.. This would be laughable if it was said in jest, but it unfortunately it was not. The administration in the B.R.L actually believe that this is the way it should work, making up the rules to suit themselves as they go along.

Getting back to the meeting on Wednesday, After the initial airing of grievances on Marphil Constrution Ltd and their rouge practices, I brought up the issue of a local apprenticeships for the youngsters in the Ballymun area. This is an issue that has been on- going since the start of the development. Promises of apprenticeships and quality job opportunities were made in the Masterplan to help sell the idea of regeneration to the Ballymun people. So far not one apprenticeship has been obtained through any efforts by the B.R.L. The B.R.L harbour an attiude that it has nothing to do with them. Even though when contractors sign up to the tenders, to actively seek and train local labour is a pre-condition in their contract. A pre-condition that is totally ignored by B.R.L and the contractors. In response to my very simple question of what efforts are being made to provide local youngsters with apprenticeships Mr. Farrelly boasted that he has sent over one hundred people on safe pass courses. Although he did not say how many of these people with their new safe passes actually secured jobs, the reason being that he did not know or care. Also, considering that Ballymun has a larger population than the county of Leitrim over a hundred safe- passes seems a mite bit small.Then, Mr. Farrelly began to rant on about IKEA coming to Ballymun and that youngsters will find employment there. One would think that Mr. Farrelly feels people from Ballymun are only fit to sell tables and chairs. I congratulated him on these efforts but told him that we are only concerned with matters of the construction industry.
The youngsters of Ballymun are getting absolutely no opportunities from the regeneration, yet, they are expected to live amongst building sites and behave happily and normally. They have become displaced in their own area, anti-social behaviour is on the increase and I feel that this behaviour is largely a direct symptom of the policies and practices of the B.R.L and their contractors. The B.R.L do not care for or respect the futures of these youngsters. Their attitude seems to be, get in, get the money and ride out any criticism with lip services and get the hell out of there. The B.R.L say they have no power to force the contractors to adhere to the conditions of their contracts. I find this very hard to believe.

by Twiggy Fri Jul 06, 2007 13:49

photo

Protesters at Civic Offices in Ballymun

by mickb Sat Jul 07, 2007 13:44

BRL sold the idea of regeneration to the people of Ballymun with promises of local jobs and training . Otherwise people wouldn’t have agreed to them coming in and taking over all the public land in the area .
Below is a link to a survey of local opinion conducted in 1997 by BRL and published in its December newsletter.

JOBS & TRAINING YES NO
I would like to work near my home 93% 7%
I would like a job on the building sites when the new work starts 74% 26%
I think we should have a Building Skills Training Programme for Ballymun residents 95% 5%
I would like to get a job but I canÕt because I have nobody to look after my children 84.5% 15.5%
I would work if I had some financial help with looking after my children 96% 4%
If I got a job the cost of having my children cared for would take
too much of my wages to make it worth coming off benefit 96% 4%
I think local people should get the first chance for any new jobs created in the area. 98% 2%
I would like to start my own business 59% 41%
I feel I need some training before I could get a job 82% 18%
I need more confidence before I try to get a job 59.5% 40.5%
I would like to have some training on computers to help me get a job 87.5% 12.5%
I would like a business skills/computer training facility on Ballymun 95.5% 4.5%
I could only do a part-time training course 87% 13%
I want a workshop that is cheap and secure on Ballymun 88% 12%

brl.ie/pdf/nletter2.pdf/

by mickb Sat Jul 07, 2007 13:55

That newsletter I linked to was published in December 1997 . People should read the newsletter if they need reminding of what BRL Gloss said it would do on the tin . And then they should come out to Ballymun to see what we ended up with. A huge Ballymun For Sale sign.

by Andyearley - BALL Sat Jul 07, 2007 23:22

Well done Mick, glad things are moving along and BRL might finally listen to the people. Still makes me sick that BRL actively disrespect the people of ballymun, and the laws of our state. Proud of ya man!

by Noreen Dwane - Ballymun Job Centre Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:48 dwanen at bmunjob dot ie

Well done lads and good luck for tomorrow. As I work in the Balymun Job centre I know how bad things are.

by mickb Wed Jul 11, 2007 17:41

There's going to be a peaceful protest tommorrow (thursday) from 8 am . Same place- the Civic Offices Ballymun Main St

by J - Protest Supporter Thu Jul 12, 2007 13:28

The protest was well attended (about 30 to 40 protesters) mostly BATU but a fair few locals as well. There is a lot of anger in Ballymun over the lack of any benifits to inhabitants in all of this redevelopment. Speculators have gotten a lot more from the whole fiasco. BRL/Dublin City Council have renaged on all of their commitments about recruitment of local unemployed, apprenticeships etc. Shame on them!

Congrats to BATU for having the balls to take up these issues along with their concerns about the unsuitability of certain non compliant sub contractors currently carrying out work in the 'Mun and being paid with our taxes despite it being illegal for companies to contract to subbies that are non compliant.

Currently its virtually impossible for youngsters to get apprenticeships unless they have connections. FAS no longer train them unless they have secured employment with a company willing to sponsor them.

by mickb Thu Jul 12, 2007 17:17

Good you could get along this morning J - there were more than forty people there altogether though. In fact I think the numbers were up on last week.- definitely more locals . A supporter came up to us to say that many of her son's friends who left school in the summer have been looking for apprenticeships on the sites but not one has been taken on .That didn't come as a surprise to many of us who have been campaigning on the issue for years. It's very hard to explain to kids though why they are being treated in this anti-social way by well -heeled people who are always quick to lecture them about anti-social behaviour .Especially seeing that Ballymun's regeneration is supposed to be the biggest social housing project in Europe. and, as Alan O'B pointed out , we've had to put up with living on a building site for the past twelve years . How many apprentices could have been trained up in that time ? Hundreds How many have been ? None.
I think locals may start to get behind the BATU campaign for union rights on Ballymun sites in a much bigger way over the following weeks if the union's demands aren't met.

by Emer - Local Employment Services Thu Jul 12, 2007 17:44

Inspirational Action!!Well done!..I too am familiar with how difficult it has become to secure an apprenticeship these days while negotiating through reams of bureaucracy. At least the link between the factors mitigating against the progression of these local young people is now exposed,highlighting the crude balance of power in favour of underhanded Construction employers. It is sypmtomatic and indicative of what it happening everywhere and only this week I was compelled to inform an Employer that my manager would have to make a formal request as a young person had been refused a copy of a Forklift LIcence for his CV!!! Having made the request twice verbally, I was left with no other option but to put the request in writing. Surely seeking references does not need to be so contentious?
These reports are now commonplace in my office and represent wholesale exploitation and disregard for future livlihoods of young people on their own doorsteps.There is only one answer-- a united strong union in solidarity and inclusive of Migrant factions as any division between the two is an opportunity for employers to denigrade conditions even further for both parties, whether Irish or Foreign Nationals.

by Irene - People before profits Sat Jul 14, 2007 20:46 hleeck at hotmail dot com

Once again it seems nothing has been learned from past experience: Rememeber what happened in 2005? Scandal and Mayhem that's what happened, hundreds of turkish Workers on different Gama Sites iin and around dublin were either paid laughable wages, not paid at all and/or there families at home in tutrkey were being blackmailed and even threatened. we're talking Passport Withholding here etc.which doesn 't go down too well with your average Customs Official in my not insubstantial experience.
Anyway, despite support in the Local media 9especially the "Northside People" were quite sympathetic towards the issue, nothing seems to have changed unfortunately.

I urge anybody out there who considers the world to be one place where neither the gender you were born with, the class you were born into, or colour of your skin or the stamps/origin of their passports should matter as to their entitlement to a rewarding and just life....to go out there and show solidarity.

by macker Fri Aug 10, 2007 07:22

the problems with brl are getting worse in ballymun, and the problem is BRL are it seems not answerable to anybody, they disregard everybody in ballymun. this is supposed to be a regeneration company and so far all they have done is bring mayhem to the area. they are just bullying their way in ballymun, and then they say they have had consultation with the area. BRL started in ballymun in 1997 and we are in a worse state now than before they came. it doesnt surprise anybody that knows the workings of BRL that the construction workers are not happy either. how long more do we have to put up with this treatment from BRL