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UNION REPRESENTATIVES HAVE called for action to safeguard Dublin City Council workers from physical assaults while they are on the job, following a recent attack on a caretaker in the North Inner City.
The assault occurred in the Ballybough area of the North Inner City on Thursday 9 January, where a 61-year-old council worker was attacked by a member of the public with an object.
Another council worker was at the scene and was able to stop the attacker, with SIPTU saying that it was a number of hours before gardaí had the manpower available to attend the scene.
The victim, who has worked with Dublin City Council for 28 years, was left injured with several cuts and bruises, and said he has been left “shaken” by the assault.
He currently works as a caretaker for flat complexes owned by Dublin City Council, and had been working at a flat complex in the area when the attack occurred.
“Most people do not realise the effects such attacks have on the employee and their families,” the victim, who chose to remain anonymous, said.
“It can change your entire personality, where you once viewed people in a friendly open manner, now you view them with suspicion and anxiety. It takes a long time to regain your confidence after such an incident.”
According to SIPTU, such attacks are becoming a “more frequent occurrence” for many of their members who work for the Dublin City Council, and they said it was not the first time that this man has suffered an assault.
A SIPTU spokesperson said that the victim, who previously served in the Defence Forces, had been left more shaken by the recent attack than “anything else in his life”.
SIPTU Organiser Jay Power said there has been a marked rise in assaults on members in recent times, with a spokesperson saying incidents of abuse, threats and assaults such as the incident in Ballybough last Thursday have become a ‘weekly occurrence’.
“We’re seeing shocking amounts of attacks on workers,” Power told The Journal.
“Not a week goes by when SIPTU are not being contacted by one of our members about attacks, and it’s across all sectors – roads, waste, housing, homeless services. Week after week, more SIPTU members have made contact about being attacked while at work,” Power added.
According to Power, SIPTU members working across a range of sectors in Dublin city are facing “uphill battles” due to increases in illicit drug use and drunken, anti-social behaviour across the city.
In a statement today, the SIPTU Dublin City Council committee condemned the “unwarranted attacks” on its members, Dublin City Council staff and other public servants.
“These cowardly attacks need to be addressed. Staff going about their daily job should not have to do so in fear,” the statement read.
SIPTU are proposing a “three-pronged approach” to Dublin City Council to deal with the attacks, wherein further resources are made available for Dublin City Council staffing levels, community resourcing for local initiatives and Garda staffing levels.
“We are highlighting the need for vigilance and proactive management responses to protect public sector, and wider services industries, workers who may be vulnerable to work-related assaults,” Power said.
“Dublin City Council workers supply essential services to residents of the city. Our members need to be able to go to work without fear, it is a shocking indictment of where we are as a society that workers are in fear just going to work.”
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Sure they’ll just buy them out from under the nose of first time buyers with the 7 billion housing budget and push prices higher!
On of the people that work with me was lucky enough to get a socially affordable home two years ago in a new limerick estate after 12 years on a list. When I call to help out with odd jobs it’s like visiting a foreign country as 2/3 are recently arrived and housed within 18 months of a successful application for asylum.
The rent is also means tested so my mortgage is actually cheaper.
Next election people should ask every candidate that calls to their door one simple question.
Please name 5 things you or your party have actually done for this community. Then film the answers.
What are people on about a housing crisis we’ve 158 units built there and plenty of fields for tents for people to get they’re bearings when they arrive. There’s plenty of extra tax fund from this budget i hear so more modular homes. Irish can look for a loan for an extension to house they’re families at granny and grandads house, that’s anyone fortunate enough to have parents who are lucky to own one. The rest can save up 5000 and head for Australia or USA cos they don’t allow you in otherwise,have a job lined up and no criminal record,opposite here though oddly unfortunately.
@Paddy C: you’re a tad off on the US there Paddy
I suppose it’s fair to say nothing has changed and nothing will ever change when FFG in charge.
I assume that number excludes the homes built for Ukrainians et al
Yawn. News ceases to become news (as in what is new) when one can foresee the future.
I propose that William Slevin gets deported. His tent or house will then become available to help ease the accommodation crisis.
Any seconders?
A Govt that lost the people & the moral authority to govern a long time ago. Listening to Harris speaking every day shows that he has no interest or concerns for the ordinary working Irish taxpayer, spends his days pandering to those arriving in record numbers every week, people are sick of it.
Too many, we need rental houses for us capitalists :)
@John D Doe: No rental houses for capitalists means less houses for people who want to rent! Landlords are needed despite being vilified all the time……. I’d choose to have more small time landlords over REITs anyday because the REITs profits go abroad and pay as little tax as possible!
Cooking The Books
My daughter has 3 young children with autism & asthma her husband took his own life 5yrs ago. She’s been on the housing list for 11yrs now with she currently lives in a private rented house paying €1500 a month. The house is damp and has black mould everywhere it’s so bad that she has to share her room with all 3 kids because the kids bedrooms are so bad. her kitchen and bathroom are a total health hazard with mould, she can’t ask the landlord to fix it because the people that were in it before her were given notice to quit because he was selling up, a for sale went up for the house for 3mths then went down and house was rented out then to her she knows he will do the same if she complains, there are 19 houses empty in our town some have been empty 3yrs there is no sense to it
have your say