No employees at Bord Iascaigh Mhara are willing to decentralise to Clonakilty, union leaders claimed today despite plans for a €20 million headquarters for the body in the town.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the move would go-ahead as planned with 90 staff from BIM leaving the capital.
But SIPTU branch organiser Owen Reidy labelled the development a white elephant. And he claimed the plan was politically motivated with TDs pushing ahead with it in order to keep their seats in next year's general election. "But our members will not be treated as political pawns in this debacle," he said.
"The Government should target its resources on important infrastructural issues such as health and education instead of wasting taxpayers' money on building a white elephant which will remain uninhabited.
"We have been told all along that the process of decentralisation is a voluntary one. But - unlike civil servants - our members in specialist semi-state agencies have been offered no viable alternatives in the Government's flawed, illogical and unpopular plan."
Mr Reidy claimed BIM is already highly decentralised with a presence in Donegal, Galway, Cork, Waterford and Wexford.
But announcing the new development the Taoiseach said civil servants were eager to move to Clonakilty.
"The Civil Service jobs in the department relocating to Clonakilty were oversubscribed with civil servants wishing to move here and it was decided that this should be one of the first phase of decentralisation," the Taoiseach said.
"In addition, BIM, under its new chairperson, Rosemary McHugh, will co-locate their 90 headquarters staff in Clonakilty in line with the department's initiative and the timetable set out by the Decentralisation Implementation Group.
Mr Ahern added: "With completion of the complex in 2008, some 210 civil and public servants will be working here in Clonakilty."
It is estimated that the decentralisation scheme will inject €9 million a year into the economy.
All marine and fishery functions of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources will be managed from Clonakilty.