Serious concerns regarding staff treatment and service delivery at Dunamaise Arts Centre will be raised at the next meeting of Laois County Council on Monday 29th June. 

The move follows formal correspondence from Fórsa to Laois County Council management, county councillors, the Arts Council and the centre’s board of management, highlighting what the union has described as a deteriorating workplace environment and emerging risks for a publicly funded cultural institution. 

Fórsa represents several current and former staff at the centre and has been actively advocating on their behalf. The union has outlined concerns relating to the withdrawal of reasonable accommodations for neurodivergent employees, failures in basic HR processes, and potential non-compliance with employment and equality obligations. 

The union has also pointed to a reported pattern of reduced programming and cancelled events, warning of reputational damage and declining public confidence if issues are not addressed. 

Fórsa official Padraig Mulligan said the union has called for urgent intervention and oversight: “The situation for staff has been very difficult, and their concerns are not alone for themselves, but also for the impact on audiences, artists and other service users. There are potential implications both in terms of governance and service delivery in a publicly funded arts venue.” 

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