In a series of pleas to bosses, civil servants wrote of overflowing bins, appalling sanitary conditions, and being unable to open their windows.
It said staff were in “a heightened state of anxious alert” and at increased risk of burnout as tents were “pressed right up close to windows” and with people dressing and undressing right in front of them.
Feedback gathered from employees of the International Protection Office (IPO) — which manages asylum applications — said the Mount Street encampment in Dublin was a “recipe for disaster”.
It said: “All of the … agencies with any level of involvement have shown themselves to be completely unwilling to take any measures — presumably as a result of concern about the negative media coverage that would attend any direct engagement.”
The views were collated in the period leading up to final removal of the camp in May with workers especially worried about what the summer would bring.
Tents near the International Protection Office on Mount Street
One person wrote: “I no longer feel safe in my workplace. I don’t feel safe travelling to work, I don’t feel safe whilst I am here in work, and I don’t feel safe leaving and going home.”
Another piece of feedback said staff were deeply worried about the asylum applicants themselves due to “rising political tensions and the threat of protests”.
“There is also concern that the situation puts staff in the building at risk from protesters,” said one email.
“This is very upsetting for staff and has impacted mental health and people’s ability to focus on their work.”
One employee wrote that “bottles of urine [and] faeces are all around the building”. They also recounted seeing: “Men washing themselves in front of me on my way to interviews [with asylum applicants].”
Noise from tents outside and inability to open windows for purposes of confidentiality is a problem
Another email said staff were worried about the site attracting vermin especially as the weather got warmer saying there was a “risk of serious contagious disease being created”.
An official said it was having a serious impact also on their ability to do their jobs when they would be conducting interviews with asylum applicants.
A note said: “Noise from tents outside and inability to open windows for purposes of confidentiality is a problem with rooms overlooking tented area.
“As interviews last two to three hours, this will not be feasible in hot weather with no air-conditioning.”
Another wrote of dealing with asylum cases where individuals were the victims of domestic and sexual violence and needing a space to decompress afterwards.
A civil servant said: “One of my go-to mechanisms was always to go for a walk to get fresh air, [a] change of scenery and to stretch my legs.
“With the tents and environment outside the buildings, I feel that this outlet has been taken from me.”
Staff wrote of being worried about wearing their work ‘lanyard’ or identification badge when they stepped outside their offices.
“I will not wear my lanyard anywhere near the buildings for fear of it drawing attention from either applicants, journalists or citizens who are nearby,” said the official.
“I’ve had mobile phones of citizens pushed in my face,” they added.
Another said the encampment should never have been allowed to develop to the extent it had.
Staff morale is at a very low ebb due to the feeling of being ‘trapped’ in the building
“All it shows is lack of respect for staff, residents, and applicants,” they wrote.
One piece of feedback said: “Staff morale is at a very low ebb due to the feeling of being ‘trapped’ in the building. Fire exits blocked off and now only one way out!”
Physical hazards were raised too where the strings of tents were hanging loose or were tied to street furniture.
An email said: “The location of the tents on the path regularly… forces staff and the public to walk on the road.
“I noted a woman with a child in a buggy forced to leave the path and walk on the road with oncoming buses [on] Monday.”
Asked about the records, which were released under the Freedom of Information Act, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: “The well-being of both staff of the IPO and applicants was the paramount concern for the department in what was a difficult situation for all concerned.
“A multi-agency operation resulted in the removal of the encampment of tents in recent months. The IPO continues to liaise with relevant agencies including An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council where necessary to maintain health and safety in the environs of the IPO.”
