'Keep Summerhill construction jobs at home' plea
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With work expected to start before the end of this year on a new €12 million school for Summerhill College, a call has gone out for the construction jobs on the project to be filled locally.
Hundreds of jobs will created once the contract is awarded for the new 900 student college, and Senator Marc MacSharry said this morning it was imperative that they be filled from the local workforce.
"It is imperative that projects such as that set to begin in Sligo with the construction of a new school for 900 students at Summerhill are granted to companies giving employment in this jurisdiction and contributing to the local and national economy," he said.
With the Irish construction sector having one of the highest unemployment rates, it was imperative that local and national contracting firms were prioritised when awarding the tender, he maintained.
"Under EU rules governing procedures in the awarding of public contracts it is possible that some of these contracts maybe awarded to companies from other jurisdictions. In this event, valuable jobs and taxpayer's money would see its way out of the economy. This is not sensible for Ireland at this moment in time.
"The risk of these contracts being awarded elsewhere is most acute in the border counties where pressures from Northern Ireland's lower cost base, including VAT and minimum wages exacerbate the situation.
"The contract awarding body should be sensible and act strategically in assessing the merits of tenders. In determining the most economically advantageous tender, consideration must be given not just to quality and value for money but the wider implications for the local and national economy," Senator MacSharry added.
