Frustration over lack of ‘on call’ rota for Limerick council workers
Following discussion at their September meeting, all six councillors in the Newcastle West Municipal District were in agreement that the current system ‘is not working right’
CALLS have been made for the establishment of an “on call rota” for outdoor staff working in the Newcastle West Municipal District.
At their September meeting, elected representatives were told there is currently no formal arrangement in place, within the district, to deal with emergencies or incidents that happen out of hours.
A number of councillors told the meeting they could not get a response on the “emergency number” during a flooding incident in Athea over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
"The emergency number was not working, we couldn’t get through,” said Cllr John Sheahan.
In reply, Senior Executive Engineer Ben Noonan said while there is a “centralised system”, there is no designated emergency number for the district. “We here, in Newcastle West, do not have anybody on call, we depend on goodwill.”
Mr Noonan said local staff “always come to the fore” and it was pointed out that Executive Engineer Padraig Vallely had answered his phone and that council workers had attended the incident in Athea.
Cllr Sheahan asked if there is a way “of getting people on call” saying it is unfair to be expecting staff to be available at all times.
"People could be out at a family dinner,” he commented.
Supporting his colleague, Cllr Liam Galvin highlighted the importance of local knowledge when it comes to incidents such as the one in Athea.
“We don’t need a training course on how to make a phone call,” he said adding: “If we are given an emergency number it will not break the bank, but it will work for us.”
Following further discussion, all six councillors were in agreement that the current system “is not working right”.