Lack of consultation over sale of former briquette factory criticised

BORD na Móna's decision to put the Derrinlough Briquette factory site up for sale without consultation with the unions and other parties, has been roundly criticised, and calls have been made for the sale to be halted.

Bord na Mona has been accused of breaching agreements entered into relating to the closure at Derrinlough with Unions claiming the decision was in contravention of a Joint Industrial relations Council (JIRC) decision, while Fianna Fail TD for Laois-Offaly Barry Cowen expressed his concern at the slippage in respect for social partnership being shown over the Derrinlough Briquette Factory closure.

On Thursday night SIPTU representatives accused Bord na Móna of breaking the terms of the agreement entered into in relation the closure of Derrinlough Briquette factory and engaging in an act of industrial vandalism.

SIPTU TEAC Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane said: “The decision by Bord na Móna to put the site up for sale without consultation with the unions is in contravention of the Joint Industrial relations Council (JIRC) decision which both sides had agreed to be bound by.

“The Group of Unions is calling for an immediate halt of the sale of the site and that a feasibility study should be conducted with a view to converting the site into an Industrial Heritage Centre. Relevant bodies should be consulted, including the Midlands Regional Transition Team, Offaly Co. Council and local community groups. The unilateral decision to put the site up for sale is a poor reflection on the current management team in Bord na Móna who are showing little regard for the legacy of the thousands of workers who made the company. The sale of the site is akin to an act of industrial vandalism.”

Architectural Conservationist Emma Gilleece, who has written about the architectural history of the factory said that although it is not on Offaly County Council’s list of Protected Structures, the factory is listed on the Offaly Survey for the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage recognising its social significance.

“As the last surviving briquette factory in Ireland, efforts must be made to investigate the potential of repurposing the site as an educational centre on Ireland’s societal transition to a low-carbon economy. The selling-off and predictable demolition of the factory would not just erase the site, but also the social history of the workers and the communities that formed around Derrinlough. Bord na Móna have a duty of care, not just to their employees, but also to our shared industrial heritage.”

Dr Patrick Bresnihan, a Geography Professor in Maynooth University, said: “The international experience shows that a meaningful just transition for the energy sector must not only account for loss of employment, but for the social and cultural value of industrial heritage and the built environment. Given that former workers are clearly attached to the briquette factory, and the opportunities that exist to transform the site into a community resource, it is a shock to hear that Bord na Móna wish to sell it.”

Dr Jamie Rohu from the Department of Geography in Trinity College Dublin said: “The selling of the Derrinlough briquette factory will mean that the industrial heritage of workers in the Irish midlands will be further eroded. The opportunity to repurpose the plant in such a way as to respect the work done by multiple generations of workers will be lost. The selling off the factory is not aligned with international just transition best practice.”

Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen has written to Bord na Mona and Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan TD expressing his concern at the slippage in respect for social partnership being shown over the Derrinlough Briquette Factory closure.

“I have written urgent letters to BnM and to Minister Ryan following trade union concerns that the company and the Minister are not following an agreement to consult before putting the facility up for sale. Such agreements have to be respected and it is concerning that in this Government, social partnership appears to be a low priority. Such consultations need to ensure that union concerns are taken into account, that any move made on the site needs to be based on a new job-creating enterprise emerging there. Any such sale should also be conditioned to cater for commitments made by BnM to unions, workforce and their communities.

“It is not the first time that I have had to raise issues about our State companies, Bord na Mona, ESB and even RTE and their commitment to the success of the State. ESB has behaved appallingly in the energy crisis and must take some responsibility for it by its behaviours. When these State companies were established, they were for the public good and were expected to show a balance between making money and contributing to the State. BnM is behaving in this instance as if its mandate is More Money. This episode and others shows a confusion in State enterprises about their local obligations. State lands and properties should be prioritised to uses that create jobs, create communities and create local opportunities. State companies, as RTE has proven, are confused in their mandates under Green ministers, they seem to be unable to separate themselves from sharp commercial behaviours and their commitment to the public good.”