Workers on the Lee Scheme had to look for 'digs' in the area and stayed in every available place along the Lee valley. Many a housewife made a little extra money by keeping a few lodgers. Digs cost £2 per week as a rule. The engineering personnel were accommodated in Innisleena House where they were well looked after by Mrs. Cotter. The French personnel, who never numbered more than twelve, stayed in Cork where they lived an extravagant lifestyle.

The contractors had no problem in getting staff. Many of the residents of the valley used every mode of conveyance – car, motorbike, bicycle – to get to work, some of them covering great distances, be it early in the morning or late at night. They wanted work and were prepared to travel for it. The Société de Construction des Batignolles (SCB) were very generous towards their workers. At Christmas they presented their employees with a turkey and there were presents also for the children. Excursions were organized on a regular basis. These included chartering the tender, 'Killarney' and taking the staff on a harbour cruise. Another excursion involved hiring seven buses to take the workers to Killarney town.

Manual workers on the project were paid 2/5 per hour for a 48- hour week. This was increased in 1954 to 2/7 per hour – £6-4-0 per week. Dumper drivers got 2/8 per hour – £6-14-0 per week. That was increased to 2/11 per hour in 1954 – £7-0-0 per week. Carpenters at Inniscarra were paid 3/7 per hour in 1954 – £8-12-0 per week. In 1955, the following wages operated: Labourers: 2/7 per hour, labourers in concrete: 2/8 per hour, steel fixers: 2/10 per hour, carpenters: 3/7 per hour; fitters: 3/6 per hour; charge hand ganger: 4/6 per hour; assistant ganger: 3/3 per hour; charge hand labourer: 2/10 per hour; engineers: £7-7-0 per week.

Contrasting against the above Bord na Móna casual workers were earning 2/4 per hour – £5-12-0 per week. Agricultural Workers for a 50-hour week earned from £4-3-6 to £4-6-0. Overtime was paid at the rate of 2/3 per hour on weekdays and 2/10 on Sundays. A trained soldier was paid £2-16-0 per week.

Problems

As with all construction projects, everything did not go according to plan. There were the usual stoppages but the majority of those did not last very long. The first serious strike at Inniscarra began on 5 January 1954 when dumper drivers went on strike for a rise in pay and better working conditions. Next day the strike took a serious turn when 300 labourers joined the drivers and there was almost a complete stoppage of work. Only around twenty-five carpenters, fitters, and mechanics remained at work. The strike ended on 10 January. The decision was taken on union advice at a meeting held in Cork between the strikers and union officials. The matter was referred to the Labour Court and the Court heard the wage grievance on 2 July 1954. The wage rate of 2/5 per hour for unskilled workers throughout County Cork was fixed in November 1952 and the rate for dumper drivers was fixed at 2/8 per hour. The claim before the Labour Court was for an increase of seven pence per hour all round and an extra increase of two pence halfpenny for dumper drivers. In its findings the Court recommended an increase of 2d. per hour and the extra claim by the dumper drivers was rejected.

The next strike took place on 1 April 1954 and lasted just one day. It was an unofficial strike of thirty carpenters who struck for danger money. Work was resumed pending an investigation. In September 1954 came the next strike and it again involved carpenters and lasted thirteen days. One carpenter was dismissed at Inniscarra as he had arrived back late from his holidays. Seventy other carpenters came out on strike in protest and picketed the site. As the strike was unofficial, the other workers passed the picket and there was no serious disruption. After the intervention of the parish priest, the Rev. Canon Kenneally, the dismissed man was given work in Carrigadrohid and there was a full resumption of business at Inniscarra on 24 September.