Staff may escalate protest over planned phone mast

Staff opposing the erection of a controversial mobile phone mast on a Department of Social and Family Affairs office in Sligo are to discuss escalating their protest at a union meeting today.

The Civil and Public Service Union (CPSU) said the mast, which is due to be erected on Saturday, will have implications for 500 staff in the pension services offices and for 37 children, some only a few months old, attending a creche beside the building.

Last week 250 staff members participated in a protest march through the centre of Sligo to the local branch of the Office of Public Works, where a letter outlining their concerns was handed in for junior Minister Tom Parlon.

But the OPW is insisting that the mast will meet all recognised safety guidelines and says it is one of 24 which have been licensed following the recommendations of independent consultants Villicom.

A spokesman for the OPW said it had a duty to "make the best use of State assets". He said it had been estimated that €1 million worth of rental income would be generated from the erection of these 24 masts.

"It is not all about money but it is our job to make the best use of State assets," the spokesman added.

Local CPSU official Mark Cawley, who works in the building on College Road, Sligo, said staff are particularly concerned because the mast - which is to service the new 3G phones - is a new type of installation which involves antennae being placed on three corners of the building.

"Everyone knows that for every report saying there are no health risks attached to these masts, there is another report contradicting this," said Mr Cawley.

"The creche is just 10 yards from the front door and there are 37 children there who are aged from a few months to four- or five-years-old and we all worry that young children are more susceptible to radiation."

The offices are just 200 yards from Summerhill College secondary school, according to Mr Cawley, who said local residents had also expressed their support for the protests.

The OPW said that Mr Parlon had indicated that radiation levels would be measured before and after the installation of the mast.