Criminal gangs are reportedly warning Dublin City Council workers not to cut grass where they are hiding drugs and weapons.

SIPTU claims there are certain "no-go" areas in the city, where workers are regularly verbally or physically assaulted.

Figures show work-related violence against council staff has risen, with 171 cases reported last year, compared to 140 in 2023.

SIPTU Organiser Jay Power said the situation has become very serious.

“We have seen recently a caretaker being assaulted in one of the complexes in the Ballybough area,” he said.

“This is now becoming a not uncommon occurrence where members of Dublin City Council staff are being verbally and physically assaulted in the workplace.

“Suffice to say, it's a terrible situation where walking men and women can't go to work without fear of threats of violence.

“It was brought up through the Dublin City Task Force and we are seeking that the task force report is implemented in full.”

Hidden drugs and weapons

Mr Power said the situation where workers are being told about hidden drugs and weapons started happening “about a year ago”.

“This came up about a year ago where certain areas and certain parks, drug gangs were highlighting to workers that areas where drugs are being hidden were not to be touched,” he said.

“This is placing onerous situations on to our members trying to carry out their day-to-day work for the people of Dublin City Council.”

Mr Power said the drugs epidemic and a shortage of Gardaí is fuelling anti-social behaviour.

“The anti-social behaviour is being driven by the drugs epidemic and the lack of Gardaí on site,” he said.

“The footfall from the Gardaí plays into this because there isn't the [amount of] Gardaí required on site in the Dublin City area and whereby there's very little protection for the workers.

“It's most definitely a shortage of Gardaí [across the board].

“It would be remissive to not to point out that, you know, Dublin City Council and the Gardaí work hand in hand.

“It's a lack of funding coming down from central Government that is leading to this issue.”

Physical assault

Dublin City Council general operative in Inchicore Anthony said he was attacked during the pandemic.

“It happened to me a couple years ago during COVID - I was trying to get to a job at 6am,” he said.

“I saw two lads walking down along the main road and I never thought anything of it and next thing one of them hit me from behind [and] I hit my head off the ground.

“I got back up and they stole my bag.

“They ran off but they were just completely out of mind on drugs and drinks or whatever.”

Anthony said that when the two men ran away from him, they spotted his colleague cycling up the road.

“They dragged him off his bike, started kicking the head off him and everything and the two us ended up getting taken to hospital in an ambulance,” he said.

“He never came back to work because he was older and he had 40 years done and he was afraid to cycle to work every morning then, in the dark.

“So, he took his redundancy and he had a heart attack two weeks later.”

Anthony said he’s experienced verbal abuse numerous times as well as this physical attack.

Dublin City Council offices on Wood Quay. Photo: PA