Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said he is dismayed at news that Cork City Council has offered voluntary redundancy to an unspecified number of staff today (Friday).

Cllr. Tynan said that the City Council was already near breaking point due to under-staffing as a result of the public service embargo and is already struggling to provide all the services required of it.   The Workers Party councillor said he had learned that Council staff had been issued with the offer of taking redundancy in a circular to staff this morning.

“This is completely inappropriate on a whole load of fronts”, said Councillor Tynan.  “For starters as I have said there is a huge staffing shortage in the City Council.  Employees who have left over the past few years have not been replaced and there are at least 200 fewer staff than there were three or four years ago.  Secondly this is at a time when new employment should be the priority.  This country and Cork in particular is in the grips of an unemployment crisis”.

Councillor Tynan said that it would be impossible for the City Council to function properly after this redundancy scheme.  It would inevitably lead to further cuts of services and further impetus towards privatisation. He accused the government of having an agenda to destroy local government in this country.

“I would call on the trade union movement to fight these latest staff cuts tooth and nail. The ink on the Haddington Road Agreement is barely dry yet once again public service jobs are under attack.  This is a bad decision for workers, it is a bad decision for those who depend on the services of Cork City Council and it is a very bad decision for the City of Cork as a whole.”, said Councillor Tynan.

Issued Friday 5th July 2013