Siptu has criticised Galway City Council's handling of the €9 million Eyre Square refurbishment contract following the overnight withdrawal of the main contractor on the controversial project.
The city council is one of a number of local authorities which is being "far too lax" in monitoring compliance of registered employment contracts on major construction projects, Siptu claims.
The contractor on the Eyre Square relandscaping project - Samuel Kingston Construction Ltd - withdrew machinery, temporary offices and other equipment from the site shortly before 4am yesterday without informing the staff who turned up for work at 8am.
The company Ltd said last night it would be issuing a press statement through its legal advisors today
About 30 staff, about a third of whom are Polish, have been working on the project for the past 16 months, but two were dismissed a fortnight ago following contacts made with Siptu.
Councillors expressed outrage during last night's city council meeting when Galway's city manager, Joe McGrath, said the local authority had been given no advance warning of the withdrawal. Mr McGrath said the council had been informed by Sam Kingston of Samuel Kingston Construction Ltd at 8.30am that he was unable to continue with the contract and had handed back possession of the site to the council's project engineer.
Mr McGrath said the local authority was both disappointed and utterly dissatisfied at the decision, "despite repeated and ongoing attempts by Galway City Council to secure completion by the November deadline".
Mr McGrath said legal advice was also being sought over the contractor's actions and the city council had asked its design team to advise it "as a matter of urgency" on the procedure for appointing a new contractor to complete the project.
The city council says about €3 million had been paid to Samuel Kingston Construction Ltd as part of the project - involving €6.3 million for the relandscaping and another €2.7 million in planning, archaeological and other costs. It was issuing a seven-day notice to the company in accordance with the contract terms, which would involve securing a €1 million bond agreed with the company for non-completion.
The project has been beset by controversy since the first plans were unveiled for the refurbishment in January 1999. The estimated cost, first put at €2.5 million, has quadrupled.
Michael Coyle, chief executive of Galway Chamber of Commerce, said that it represented the "worst possible news for Galway" on the eve of key tourist events, the Galway Film Fleadh, Arts Festival and race week next month. "Jobs are now at risk," Mr Coyle said, and the priority must now be to ensure that the work could be completed as quickly as possible.
Fine Gael councillor Pádraig Conneely said the whole project had been "flawed from the outset". Green Party councillor Niall Ó Brolcháin, who campaigned against the refurbishment in 1999, said he would be calling for an inquiry.