No climbdown on possible briquette factory sale

Bord na Móna has confirmed it is continuing to review options for the former briquette factory at Derrinlough, including its possible sale, despite a statement by SIPTU seeking an immediate halt to the move which it described as "akin to an act of industrial vandalism".

In a statement to the Offaly Independent this week in the wake of the SIPTU call, Bord na Mona said it had "engaged with the Group of Unions on an ongoing basis about its factory closure plans" and had confirmed it would be exploring alternative options for the use of the site post-closure.

"Bord na Móna is now committed to reviewing various site options in line with its original plans," it added.

SIPTU had claimed that the semi-state company was breaking the terms of the agreement entered into in relation the closure of the Offaly factory, which shut permanently in June, by putting it up for sale.

The trade union called for a feasibility study to be conducted, with a view to converting the site into an industrial heritage centre.

Local TD Barry Cowen has expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed sale, writing letters on the matter to Environment Minister Eamon Ryan and Bord na Móna CEO Tom Donnellan last week.

In the letters, the Fianna Fáil TD said it was his understanding that Bord na Móna management had "made a commitment to unions representing the workforce that there would be provision made at this site for an interpretive centre or museum chronicling the history of Bord na Móna in the region."

He said a semi-state body such as Bord na Móna had "a social duty" in addition to its duty to return annual dividends to Government.

"Reneging on Bord na Móna's word in this case is quite unbelievable. It also represents, in my view, a reneging on the social responsibilities it has to the region as provided for when set up originally."

The TD called for conditions to be attached to any sale of the site, including that there would be funding provided for a Bord na Móna interpretive centre or museum; that a community renewable energy project would be facilitated at the site; and that the sale would be conditional on "planning permission being achieved for a job-creating enterprise" there.

The prominent factory premises, on 44.5 acres between Cloghan and Birr, was last week advertised for sale or rent at a "negotiable" rate.

"The decision by Bord na Móna to put the site up for sale without consultation with the unions is in contravention of the Joint Industrial Relations Council (JIRC) decision which both sides had agreed to be bound by," commented SIPTU TEAC Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane.

"The Group of Unions is calling for an immediate halt of the sale of the site and that a feasibility study should be conducted with a view to converting the site into an Industrial Heritage Centre. Relevant bodies should be consulted, including the Midlands Regional Transition Team, Offaly County Council and local community groups.

"The unilateral decision to put the site up for sale is a poor reflection on the current management team in Bord na Móna who are showing little regard for the legacy of the thousands of workers who made the company. The sale of the site is akin to an act of industrial vandalism," he argued.

The union has been joined by several academics and conservationists in the their bid to halt the sale, and an online petition calling for the sale to be stopped, due to the site's "social and architectural significance as the last briquette factory in Ireland," was launched on Wednesday of this week.

The petition was started by architectural historian Emma Gilleece and Dr Patrick Bresnihan, a lecturer in Geography at Maynooth University.

The pair collaborated on an opinion article, published by The Journal news website this week, which proposed that the former Derrinlough factory "should be preserved, not sold".

Ms Gilleece said that although the factory is not on Offaly County Council's list of Protected Structures, it is listed on the Offaly Survey for the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage recognising its social significance.

"As the last surviving briquette factory in Ireland, efforts must be made to investigate the potential of repurposing the site as an educational centre on Ireland’s societal transition to a low-carbon economy," she said.

"The selling-off and predictable demolition of the factory would not just erase the site, but also the social history of the workers and the communities that formed around Derrinlough. Bord na Móna have a duty of care, not just to their employees, but also to our shared industrial heritage."

Dr Patrick Bresnihan, a Geography Professor in Maynooth University, said the social and cultural value of industrial heritage and the built environment should not be lost.

"The international experience shows that a meaningful just transition for the energy sector must not only account for loss of employment, but for the social and cultural value of industrial heritage and the built environment. Given that former workers are clearly attached to the briquette factory, and the opportunities that exist to transform the site into a community resource, it is a shock to hear that Bord na Móna wish to sell it."

Dr Jamie Rohu from the Department of Geography in Trinity College Dublin added: "The selling off the Derrinlough briquette factory will mean that the industrial heritage of workers in the Irish midlands will be further eroded. The opportunity to repurpose the plant in such a way as to respect the work done by multiple generations of workers will be lost.

"The selling off the factory is not aligned with international just transition best practice."