BORRISOKANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE in North Tipperary last night had windows and doors removed from a new extension scheduled to open next week.
TheJournal.ie understands the move was taken by a sub-contractor as the result of a pay and contract dispute.
Galway-based contractor, JJ Rhatigan and Company, is the main contractor hired to construct the €10 million extension to the school but was not involved in the removal of the items.
Deputy Principal Sinead Farragher confirmed that “an incident” had taken place overnight, adding that it was “being dealt with”. She said the school had no further comment to make on the matter.
Signed contract
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Managing Director of JJ Rhatigan and Company, the main contractors on the build, Padraic Rhatigan said:
JJ Rhatigan did not remove any windows or doors. We are the main contractors on the site and we hired a sub-contractor to carry out a number of works on site. He has been paid 92 per cent of the value of the contract we signed with him.
He claims that until this incident, he has not received any correspondence from the sub-contractor about any dispute over pay. He added that the incident had been reported to the gardaí, stating:
I have a great respect for sub-contractors and this is being sorted out as I speak.
He said that the sub-contractor who removed the windows and doors had more work to complete on site.
A ‘maverick move’
“He is essentially saying that he wants every penny or he won’t be putting back the doors. I am not going to concede to these threats,” he said.
He added:
As a company, JJ Rhatigan and Company do not walk away from their responsibilities with projects or sub-contractors, but this really is a maverick type of approach.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, local councillor Michael O’Meara said that funding for the new school has provided a new state of the art modern building which includes an Autism Unit which will cater for students diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
Horrendous conditions
“For thirty years the school was operating in horrendous conditions, with prefabricated buildings. When a new school is to be built, the Department of Education puts it out to tender and they tend to take the best offer, which is usually the lowest one. This can leave the margins for both contractors and subcontractors very tight, which is not alway cohesive to a smooth project,” he said.
He added: “This subcontractor believes that he has not been fully compensated for his work and has taken the law into his own hands. I believe the main contractor is open to discussing this matter with the subcontractor, so I hope there will be progress made.”
An open day for students and parents is due to take place this Sunday, with the school due to open fully next week. Councillor O’Meara said that he was confident that both would go ahead as planned.
He said that it was “an unfortunate situation” but it was one he believed has been replicated around the country.
The sub-contractor could not be reached at the time of publication.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say