Southerners don’t want Muff (Job)

[Stall the Bailer]

www.derryjournal.com/inishowen/Three-hundred-apply-for-Muff.6474193.jp

Three hundred apply for Muff filling station job


Almost three hundred people applied for a single job as a till operator at a filling station in Muff.
But, according to local businessman, Colm McKenna, who owns the filling station, the truly surprising aspect of this amazing response is that 'only about ten per cent of the applications were from people in the South'.

Speaking with the 'Journal' yesterday Mr. McKenna described himself as 'shocked' by the response.

"I have been in business for a long time and I am, obviously, aware of the employment situation out there but I have to admit being shocked that almost 300 people applied for this job. I went through all the applications and there were at least two people with Masters degrees in the sciences looking for it. That's amazing."

The Muff man made one other telling observation: "What I found odd was that only about ten per cent of the applications were from people in the Republic. It's not the most popular thing in the world to say but it tells me that people here are too well off on the dole. If you are married and have a couple of kids why work when you can pick up almost €600 a week? Or if you are a young person why bother getting out of your bed in the morning if you can pick up €200 a week."
Not competitive

Mr. McKenna said the major economic problem - across the board - was that the Republic has priced itself out of the market.

He explained: "Costs in the Republic are three times that in the North. I have had restaurants in both the north and the south and only for the fact that I'm from the South I would not set up a business here.
"In the south if you want to employ someone to flip burgers it will cost you €300 minimum per week. Where's the profit to be made there? Because of the minimum wage you cannot compete with someone five minutes up the road in Derry who is paying them, at most, half that. So you close."

And he was scathing too about the red tape and health and safety regulations in the Republic

"I had a restaurant in Muff, Finnegans, some years back. It cost me £70,000 in only three years to 're-arrange' - not build or fit out - a kitchen which satisfield the demands of the planners and the people from Health and Safety. It was a joke. One guy wanted this, the other guy wanted that. I was the only one paying."

But there was more red tape before the kitchenb saga was all finished: "It was surreal. I was told by the Health Food people that I couldn't bring meat from an outside cold room into the kitchen because it might get contaminated in the open air. I pointed out when the meat was delivered by lorry it was carried from that lorry in the open air into the cold room. I asked what was different about the air on the way from the lorry to the cold room and the air from the cold room to the kitchen. I never got an answer."

Incentives to work
He concluded: "If we are going to create jobs, stop the emigration and get wealth back into out communities we have got to get competitive in costs and wages.

"And providing a level of dole that gives no incentives for people to look for work is not the way forward for this country, not in my opinion anyway."

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Last Updated: 13 August 2010 11:39 AM

[armaghniac]

Bit of a non story. 90% of people with 5 miles of this station are in the North.

[nrico2006]

True Armaghniac.  The dole money in the South is nuts though, I know alot of people who sign on in both the North and South, why bother working?

[Doogie Browser]

The dole is too much in the south, not enough incentive to get back to work.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Any jobs going for a diver up there?

[boojangles]

Any jobs going for a diver up there?

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

www.derryjournal.com/inishowen/Three-hundred-apply-for-Muff.6474193.jp

Almost three hundred people applied for a single job as a till operator at a filling station in Muff.
But, according to local businessman, Colm McKenna, who owns the filling station, the truly surprising aspect of this amazing response is that 'only about ten per cent of the applications were from people in the South'.

I would reckon that having 10% of applications coming from Munster to be quite impressive to be honest.

What percentage where from the East & West?

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

"South" - You would have to bloody laugh when you look at a map

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&q=map+of+muff+county+donegal&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Muff,+Co.+Donegal&gl=ie&ei=6ZpuTNnLO6aH4gaYr_neCg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA

[muppet]

Any jobs going for a diver up there?

You need to cross the border at Lifford.

[pintsofguinness]

Sure why would you work in a shop if you could get 200 euro sitting at home crying about foreigners taking jobs.

[ross4life]

"South" - You would have to bloody laugh when you look at a map

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&q=map+of+muff+county+donegal&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Muff,+Co.+Donegal&gl=ie&ei=6ZpuTNnLO6aH4gaYr_neCg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA

Yep more north than most northern counties

[Tony Baloney]

Sure why would you work in a shop if you could get 200 euro sitting at home crying about foreigners taking jobs.

The dole in the south must be the equivalent of a 12 grand a year job, for sitting on your hole. Plenty of people in the north work for that or less. It's no wonder yis are fucked.

I'll throw a few euro into the exchequer when I'm down next week!

[wicked]

They make more on the dole in Ireland than here in the states. I'm living in the wrong place.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I have to do a bit of work in Muff later. Doubt the pay will be great.

Ah now, are you trying to out-idiom the northerners of Inishowen?

Do you mean:

a) Doubt if the pay will be great (pay will be shite)?, or

b) Doubt that the pay will be great (what an earner, lucky fecking days)?

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

No I mean the wife got a Holywood today instead of a Brazillian. F**k knows what it is, but I`ll be finding out soon. 

Have you now, dirty Louth git 

(We nordies aren't used to such filth  )