Council outlines position on plan to hire seasonal workers

A Mayo County Council official has said they do not use seasonal workers because of time constraints around training temporary staff members.

Director of Services for the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District Tom Gilligan made his comments in response to a query from Cllr Patsy O’Brien.

Cllr O’Brien had enquired about the local authority looking into the possibility of hiring seasonal workers to address outdoor staff shortages during the summer months at a previous meeting and at last week’s meeting, sought an update.

“We know staff are stretched. In Ballinrobe, there are voids in work being carried out, walkways and areas aren’t being strimmed, at Bower’s Walk for example,” said Cllr O'Brien.

“It is not rocket science what we are asking seasonal workers to do. A lot of the work volunteers used to do is not being done because people don’t have time for voluntary work."

"They are in debt and stressed about paying their mortgage and the cost of living.”

Cllr Alma Gallagher supported his comments and said past initiatives such as the Rural Social Scheme are “in crisis.”

“The RSS cannot get people to recruit and this is having an effect. The graveyard in Knock for example is being passed from Billy to Jack and Mayo County Council says it is not their remit, it is covered under GMA funding,” she said.

Cllr Damien Ryan said schemes like the RSS and Tus filled a vacuum when it came to work that businesspeople and rates-payers still expect to be done in towns and villages across the county.

In response, Mr Gilligan said the Council does not hire seasonal workers.

“There are issues with training people. By the time they are trained up properly, the requirement for a seasonal worker is nearly finished for the year,” he said.

“I would encourage people to engage in voluntary commitments. Voluntary work is vital and looks great on a CV,” he added.