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Labour Court Recommendation on FÁS a major victory

Date Released: 28 Aug 2007

SIPTU has welcomed the Labour Court's Recommendation in the dispute with the State training and employment agency FÁS, as a major victory. The Union’s Regional Secretary, Patricia King said this evening that, “the outcome has major implications for 2,500 SIPTU members in 23 semi-State agencies. The Court has accepted our argument that staff in these agencies - many of them highly qualified specialists - have different terms of employment to civil servants and that the same degree of inter-changeability  does not exist.

SIPTU’s FÁS Branch Organiser, Greg Ennis said, “as the Court has reminded the Government, decentralisation is supposed to be a voluntary process. Telling staff they cannot be promoted if they are not prepared to transfer to the new FÁS headquarters in Birr cannot be considered as constituting voluntary relocation.  The Government must now accept that its policy of compulsory decentralisation of non-commercial semi-State agencies has failed.  "It is neither realistic, nor reasonable, to expect people  - many of whom have 20 years or more service and family commitments, to move when there is no requirement for them to do so in order to carry out their jobs effectively.

"FÁS is already one of the most decentralised state bodies with branches in virtually every county, let alone every region. Moving the head office may duplicate costs and functions but it will not improve organisational effeciency.  Nor should decisions on the running of these agencies be determined by political expediency rather than how they can best serve the public and Irish enterprise."

Patricia King added: “Civil servants may be able to move between Departments without material loss but the same does not apply to employees of non-commercial semi-State agencies.  They each work for different employers with different pay scales, pension schemes and working conditions.

“We will now be taking cognisance of the implications of the Labour Court Recommendation for all our members, hardly any of whom have indicated a willingness to relocate voluntarily. Hopefully the Government will be doing them same.”

Editor's Note:

Note: The commercial semi-state agencies where SIPTU is also opposing forcible decentralisation are: the Arts Council, BIM, Bord Bia, Bus Eireann, Central Fisheries Board, Combat Poverty Agency, Enterprise Ireland Foras na Gaeilge, Failte Ireland, FETAC, HETAC, National Building Agency, National Safety Council, National Roads Authority and the National Standards Authority Ireland. So far less than 60 SIPTU members have agreed to relocate.

Agency

Proposed destination

Job Numbers

Internal Agency Applications

Arts Council

Kilkenny

44

0

Bord Iascaigh Mhara

(Dun Laoghaire)

Clonakilty

93

0

Bord Bia

Enniscorthy

53

13

Bus Eireann

Mitchelstown

81

0

Central Fisheries Board

Carrick on Shannon

62

2

Combat Poverty Agency

Monaghan

25

1

Enterprise Ireland

Shannon

292

15

Foras na Gailge

Gweedore

30

0

Failte Ireland

Mallow

178

0

FÁS

Birr

383

6

FETAC

Edenderry

44

3

HETAC

Edenderry

32

2

National Safety Council

Loughrea

11

0

National Building Agency

Wexford

48

3

National Roads Authority

Ballinasloe

89

1

National Standards Authority Ireland

Arklow

132

10

Total

 

1,597

56





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