The Minister for Tourism and Sport, Dr McDaid, will meet union leaders in Bord Failte early next week to discuss future plans for the tourism promotion body. The unions are expected to raise with him the report in Monday's Irish Times that tourism promotion may be centred in Belfast, as one of the first cross-Border initiatives under the Belfast Agreement.
SIPTU branch secretary, Ms Patricia King, who represents most of the 120 Bord Failte staff, said yesterday she did not want to pre-empt the meeting with Dr McDaid but that staff were very concerned at the leaked reports. She said any proposed changes should be discussed with staff first in a spirit of partnership.
Ms King also represents the majority of staff in Forfas, Forbairt and IDA Ireland. She criticised the decision of the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, not to appoint any trade union representative to the board of the new agency, Enterprise Ireland. "The reality is that we have fundamental differences with the Department over Enterprise Ireland and how it has been set up," she said.
The Tanaiste had not responded to requests for worker directors on the board of Enterprise Ireland. SIPTU president Mr Jimmy Somers had been on the board of Forbairt, and the union's former general secretary, Mr Billy Attley, had been on the Irish Trade Board. Now that these bodies were absorbed into Enterprise Ireland there was no trade union experience when it was most urgently needed, she said.
Meanwhile the Irish organiser of the National Union of Journalists, Mr Seamus Dooley, also expressed concern at the reorganisation of Bord Failte. He questioned the decision to give the departing chief executive, Mr Matt McNulty, a contract to market and distribute Ireland of the Welcomes. He said that in the past employees being made redundant were precluded from undertaking consultancy, or contract work for the board.