Truckers descend on the Dail

A fleet of construction trucks descended on the Dail on Tuesday ( June 28) to protest at alleged underpayment to sub-contractors on a number of local authority housing projects in the capital.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, who is championing the cause of the sub-contractors, said the controversy could have as far reaching consequences as the Gama saga.

Sargent brought a motion seeking an adjournment debate on the controversy and told the house that a large construction firm that has “contracts to build council housing in Ballymun, Fortunestown and other locations, has failed to meet its payment obligations to more than a dozen companies that have sub-contracted work.”

He added: “This is resulting in threat of job losses and companies going to the wall along with the associated tensions created with such non-payment of bills.”
Representatives of the sub-contractors say that long delays in payments and disputes over payments have left their companies in vulnerable financial positions.”