FORSA Trade Union demands action at Dunamaise Arts Centre in Laois
Concern expressed for staff welfare and governance at Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise.
A major trade union has demanded that Laois County Council step in to resolve a dispute at the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise but management insists they are taking matters relating to staff welfare seriously.
FORSA, the trade union for public service workers, is asking for Laois County Council’s “urgent attention” to the issue, “before further damage is done to staff, services and public confidence”.
Assistant General Secretary Padraig Mulligan writes that long serving “staff report a hostile and destabilising work environment” and that they feel “pushed out”.
He claims that there are accounts of a withdrawal or ignoring of appropriate supports given to “vulnerable staff, including neurodivergent employees”.
“There is a growing pattern of cancelled events and reduced programming, and artists and service users have begun to express concern about the direction of the centre.
“As a publicly funded facility, Dunamaise must be held to a high standard of governance, fairness and service delivery. At present, there is a clear risk that those standards are not being met,” the union representative stated.
The CEO of the centre, Ciara O’Connell has given a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
“Dunamaise Arts Centre takes any matters relating to staff welfare, governance and organisational practice seriously.
“Where concerns are raised, they are reviewed through the appropriate internal processes and in line with our legal, HR and governance obligations with due care for all involved.
“It would not be appropriate to comment on individual employment matters.
“As a publicly funded arts centre, Dunamaise remains focused on serving artists, audiences and the wider community, while ensuring that the organisation is managed in a fair, transparent and sustainable way.”
The matter was put into the public domain by Cllr Aisling Moran who now plans to raise the issue in a motion to the next Laois County Council meeting.
She told the Leinster Express / Laois LIve of her concern.
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“I have met staff and I’ve been approached by people who use the centre both for their business and as visitors. All the stories seem to be the same. I am going to ask Laois County Council to address the FORSA letter. They need to do something as soon as possible, before this escalates into industrial action.
“I am concerned for the staffs’ wellbeing, and shocked at how they say they were treated,” Cllr Moran said.
Laois County Council established the Dunamaise Arts Centre in 1999 in response to local demand for arts and cultural infrastructure and provision. It is owned by the local authority. County Councillors and a senior council staff member sit on the board.
The Council was asked for comment.