Urgent staff issues at Dunamaise to be raised at council meeting
Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise. File image
A TRADE union representing some workers at Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise has called for an urgent resolution of ‘serious concerns’ regarding staff and services.
The Fórsa trade union, which represents a number of current and former staff, has written to the centre’s board of management to highlight these concerns, which the union contends are affecting staff welfare and event programming.
The issue will be raised at the next meeting of Laois Co Council on 29 June by Cllr Aisling Moran, who told the : “There is a pattern of events being cancelled and I have serious concerns about the welfare of staff, at what is a publicly funded centre. I will be asking the county council to do everything in its power to resolve this situation urgently.”
Fórsa sent letters highlighting its concerns to Laois county councillors and to The Arts Council last week.
The trade union stated: ‘This situation requires urgent attention before further damage is done to staff, services and public confidence.’
The Dunamaise receives substantial public funding annually from The Arts Council, amounting to €145,000 in 2025 and a further €145,000 this year. Three county councillors are on the Dunamaise Arts Centre’s board of management.
In its letter to councillors, Fórsa said there are ongoing concerns regarding ‘the treatment of staff and the deterioration of services’ at the centre.
The union claims that there is ‘a hostile and destabilising work environment, with a clear perception that long-serving employees are being pushed out’, with particularly troubling alleged issues regarding vulnerable staff, including neurodivergent employees.
The union stated: ‘This is not simply an internal staffing issue. The consequences are now visible to the public. There is a growing pattern of cancelled events and reduced programming and artists and service users have begun to express concern about the direction of the centre.
‘As a publicly funded facility with a central role in the cultural life of Portlaoise, Dunamaise must be held to a high standard of governance, fairness and service delivery.’
In response to a query from the on 10 June, Dunamaise board of management chairperson Clive Davis said that it would not be appropriate to comment on individual employment matters.
In a written statement, Mr Davis added: ‘When concerns are raised, they are reviewed through the appropriate internal processes and in line with our legal, HR and governance obligations, with due care for all involved.
‘As a publicly funded arts centre, Dunamaise remains focused on serving artists, audiences and the wider community while ensuring the organisation is managed fairly, transparently and sustainably.’
