A trade union representing city council staff has called for a public vote to assess Galwegians’ opinions on moving City Hall from College Road to Mervue.
Forsa, which represents almost 200 clerical, technical and environmental staff in Galway City Council, says a plebiscite to allow citizens and rate payers of Galway have their say on the local authority’s planned move to Crown Square next year, is the democratic solution to the current impasse between management and workers.
Forsa official Padraig Mulligan says 75 per cent of city council staff his union surveyed last week indicated that the proposed move has prompted them to consider applying for posts outside the local authority.
“Galway City Council has made a very serious error of judgment by pushing ahead with a move that nobody wants. It failed to consult its own staff, it failed to consult its own councillors in any meaningful way, and it is failing the people of Galway city by ignoring their needs,” he said at a protest of some 100 local authority staff outside City Hall last week.
“We’re calling for a public vote to see what the people want. As city population increases, - to 120,000 by 2040 - we don’t see how moving to a centre in Mervue will help. It’s ridiculous that the county council will be in the city centre, and the city council won’t.”
City management have suggested that a public counter service will be retained somewhere in the city centre, but Mulligan asserts this proposal has not been raised in staff consultation with senior managers.
In 2020, Galway City Councillors voted to approve a proposal by former city manager Brendan McGrath to borrow €45.5m to buy and fit-out a new building to become the council’s HQ on the 12 acre Crown site developed by JJ Rhatigan. Current estimates expect a final bill of close to €60m, to include extra car parking, internal fit outs, and a state-of-the-art heat recovery system to comply with carbon emission targets. Some estimates suggest the final fit-out to ensure an appropriate working environment and a carbon neutral building could cost an extra €30 million.
Council management said the current City Hall, designed by SJ Kelly architects in the 1980s, and refurbed in the early 2000s, is no-longer fit for purpose, especially to cater to existing and future staffing levels. The local authority currently employs 610 full-time staff across four offices, including City Hall, Yeats College, Eyre Square and the Fairgreen, and outdoor staff based in a number of depots. Forsa wants managers to make public any assessments of the current building, and the reasoning why it could not be extended and renovated.
A city council spokeswoman said a ‘High-Level Information and Consultation Group’ was established in 2021 to discuss the move to Crown Square with staff, including with five trade unions.
“Forsa notified [us] of their withdrawal from the group on November 7, 2024,” she said. “They have not provided any reason for their withdrawal.”
City manager, Leonard Cleary, told councillors at their monthly meeting, in early March, that Forsa has been formally invited to return to talks. "We continue to listen, and are listening, to staff and five unions. One union is not at the table, and is invited to return," he said. "Some... people are unhappy - and it's a small number in my opinion. The other people are speaking to us, and they are in favour of moving to Crown Square."
At the same March meeting, city councillors voted to hold a special meeting next month to discuss the plans to move Galway City Council's HQ to Crown Square.
In response to a question from Councillor Mike Cubbard (Ind ), Mr Cleary said that if councillors did not approve further loans to fit-out the Crown Square building as a new City Hall, there is a 'Plan B' he will reveal next month.
