Dispute brings work on Thornton Hall access road to a halt

WORK ON a one kilometre access road to service Thornton Hall prison has ground to a halt following a dispute between the company that won the contract and its subcontractor.

Workers with Breffni Construction downed tools yesterday and left the site in Kilsallaghan, Co Dublin, after a dispute over an outstanding debt of €450,000.

The company said it may have to make up to 20 of its 90 staff redundant if the dispute is not resolved.

SIAC Construction won the contract to build the access road, which included an underpass, a traffic junction at the R135 and landscaping work, in July 2010 with a price of €2.6 million.

It subcontracted this work to Breffni in October. The companies agreed a price based on the road design but, according to Breffni, the design was flawed.

John O’Driscoll, commercial manager of Breffni, said that as a result of the flaws, the job was more expensive and ran over time by five months. When the company began work it realised the design would not be sufficient to hold up the road, he said.

“It was designed as cheaply as possible, but the ground was too wet to hold it up.”

He said when Breffni drew the attention of SIAC to the problems, it was told not to worry, they would be “looked after”.

The company has since refused to pay the final €450,000 owed, Mr O’Driscoll said.

His business had an annual turnover of €10 million, he said, and could not afford to take the hit, so Breffni workers parked their vehicles on the site yesterday and walked away.

“The way the main contractors in Ireland are treating people now is awful,” said Mr O’Driscoll.

No one was available from SIAC to comment.

A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said the matter was an issue between the contractor and its subcontractor.

“We have made all of our payments as set out in the terms of the contract with SIAC,” he said.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter established a committee to examine the viability of the Thornton Hall prison project in April. Former Supreme Court judge and Law Reform Commission president Catherine McGuinness, Irish Prison Service director general Brian Purcell, his special adviser Tom Cooney, and Brendan Murtagh of auditing firm LHM Casey McGrath were included on the committee.

The 140-acre greenfield site cost almost €30 million in 2002.

Fees for professional, consultancy and site works have added a further €15 million to the bill.