Staff from childcare services hit by mica to strike and protest during polling day

Staff at a childcare facility in Letterkenny that fears closure due to defective concrete blocks will picket the Public Services Centre next Friday.

Staff from the Letterkenny Community Childcare will stage a one-day strike and will be joined by parents and also by people from other similarly-affected facilities to picket from 12noon-2pm on the day when voting for the local and European elections will be taking place.

“We are striking closing for the day to highlight the lack of action from the Government,” Geraldine Burke, the manager at Letterkenny Community Childcare, told Donegal Live.

Letterkenny Community Childcare, which is the only full-time community childcare provider in Letterkenny, caters for 151 children from 124 families. Their waiting list stands at over 400, including 164 babies.

As the building is not a 'home', it has not been included in the redress scheme. The building was found to be 35 pet cent mica/pyrite and despite some remedial works, significant cracks are visible in the structure.

While a site has been secured, the organisation would need €2.5 million to buy the site and develop a new facility.

As the issues at their existing facility worsen, its lifespan is uncertain.

Ms Burke said: “The building will be reviewed again in September and a decision will be made. It is so frustrating. We could have to close anytime and there is no plan B. We have tried every plan B.

“We do have a deposit down on a new site – even if we could get going there and we were really stuck we could put portacabins on. That is being held up due to traffic proposals that have to be dealt with.”

Ms Burke said they are getting “no help from any government agency” and they will be joined in their day of action next week by people from Raphoe Community Playgroup, whose facility cannot reopen in September unless a temporary home is found.

Families of the 45 children who attend the facility and staff are in limbo.

The community fund-raised to build the premises in 2000, but earlier this year they were left stunned when an engineer confirmed the presence of defective concrete blocks and advised that the structure will have to be demolished.

The Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman, previously said that a temporary location is under review and his department will assist in funding the relocation. However, there has yet been no tangible advancement of that plan.

“There are 22 other services affected, from all over the county, which is over 40 per cent of the childcare in Donegal,” Ms Burke said.

“If 40 per cent of childcare in Donegal have to close in the next few years, due to buildings being unfit for purpose because of defective blocks, what do parents or guardians do when they are trying to get to their employment?

“How do companies recruit new staff if there is no childcare availability?

“Currently the childcare sector in Donegal does not have the capacity to meet the demand for places.

“All services in all areas have long waiting lists – and this will worsen with closures due to defective blockwork.”