Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise an issue that was raised last week by my colleague, Deputy Clare Daly, and by me the week before that in the course of the debate on the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014. It relates to the industrial dispute at the Greyhound facility in Clondalkin. Following the decision by the High Court on Tuesday, there is now an official lock-out of 70 workers at the depot. Household waste disposal services across Dublin city are being provided by a company which has locked out its workforce and is now operating with scab labour.

At a meeting between representatives of workers and the National Employment Rights Authority, NERA, on Monday, which was facilitated by the Taoiseach, serious health and safety concerns were raised. It is alleged that there is zero maintenance of the fleet of bin trucks, which is a matter of concern for both the Garda, the Road Safety Authority and the Health and Safety Authority. There are serious health and safety concerns regarding the employment of casual staff without proper training on safety procedures and the use of protective clothing. Bin trucks are dangerous pieces of machinery and the handling of waste can involve hazardous materials. In addition, Greyhound has been brought to court by the Environmental Protection Agency on a number of occasions and fined for breaches of the law relating to the protection of the environment.

These issues are arising as a consequence of the privatisation of bin services across the State. Local authorities have effectively washed their hands of the service and there is no effective oversight and regulation of a private waste collection sector that has a deplorable record of illegal dumping and breaking environmental regulations down through the years. A race to the bottom is taking place among the various companies, which can only lead to an increased casualisation of the workforce, minimum wage rates, poor training on health and safety procedures, dangerous vehicles operating in built-up areas and outsourcing of routes. In the case of Greyhound, casual workers are being collected from the local Woodie's carpark by subcontractors. Somewhere along the line there will be very serious injuries or deaths.

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