Councillor decries cold- snap holiday

CLARE County Council road workers shouldn’t be given a day off in the middle of a cold snap when roads needed to be gritted, according to a local county councillor.
Under a long-standing arrangement with unions, local-authority road workers have a day off on December 8 unlike the rest of the staff who carry out their normal duties from 9am to 5pm.
While Councillor Cathal Crowe doesn’t object to council road workers getting a day off, he believes that they should get a day off in lieu or double time later in the year when roads aren’t subjected to frost, snow or floods.
“This happened last year during the cold snap. I have no objection to road workers going to mass and returning to their work when mass is finished. I will be raising this issue at the next county council meeting. No one wants to take a day off the workers but it shouldn’t be taken when roads are in a treacherous condition.
“Road workers have done their best to grit roads during the cold spell. I would like to see someone with authority in the council making a decision to change this work practice,” he said.
According to a spokesperson from Clare County Council, workers were on a day off on Wednesday but “they were available for work if required. This was arranged on Tuesday, December 7. In the event, some were required and gritting was carried out in some parts of the county on Wednesday, December 8.”