PLANS to permanently stand down the Doolin Coast Guard and then reconstitute it have been labelled “totally unacceptable” by a Clare TD.
On Thursday, the Department of Transport announced they were accepting the findings of a report by independent mediator Kieran Mulvey to stand down the Doolin Coast Guard and later temporarily appoint volunteers that can suitably work together.
Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) felt the approach from the Department was “absolutely scandalous. The Department of Transport is burying its head in the sand and refusing to take seriously the very real, and very legitimate concerns of the volunteers”.
Wider issues in the Irish Coast Guard have been ignored, she felt. “Something is very wrong, in the Governance and senior management of the Irish Coast Guard, and the attitude towards its invaluable membership when anyone who is speaking out of line is simply removed from the unit and excommunicated. The issues between membership and management run deep and are pervasive across the country – it’s not just Doolin. The experiences of disillusioned Doolin members are not isolated incidents and are symptomatic of a bigger, institutional issue”.
She stated, “The response by the Department has shown that the Government is complicit in perpetuating the ideas that volunteers are disposable without ensuring the management undergoes a corresponding review or evaluation”.
Clarity is lacking in the Department’s announcement regarding Doolin, the Kilrush woman maintained. “The decision to completely stand down the Doolin Unit, and then ‘reconstitute’ or reappoint members based purely on who was well behaved and who was making waves is absolutely unacceptable. More of the same dubious management from the Department – no clarity or transparency about who will be called back on board”.
Wynne added, “The fact that this announcement has been made the week before Christmas has devastated the Doolin Unit members who have basically been apportioned all of the blame and told they are no longer welcome in the Coast Guard. Also, making this decision known just as the Dáil is entering a recess phase is under-handed and an attempt to minimise the attention and media drawn to the debacle. There’s something very wrong with the core of the ICG management, something is rotten at the core, and until it is addressed at this central level no amount of band-aiding or fire-fighting will resolve the under-lying issues”.
