Fórsa is to ballot members for industrial action in an ongoing dispute with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) over the introduction of a job evaluation system for clerical and admin staff.

The ballot, which is set to take place in February, was announced by the union’s Local Government divisional executive because of local authority employers’ refusal to discuss the introduction of a job evaluation scheme in the sector.

Most recently, representatives of local government employers failed to appear at a reconvened labour court hearing on the dispute.  

Peter Nolan, head of the Fórsa’s Local Government Division, said the ballot would seek a mandate for industrial action “up to and including the withdrawal of labour arising from the union’s claim to have an agreed job evaluation system introduced to local authorities.” 

Job evaluation is an established tool that allows the knowledge, skills and responsibilities associated with individual jobs – rather than grades or staff categories – to be assessed and appropriately rewarded.

The union has recently negotiated job evaluation schemes in education, the HSE and Tusla. These have enabled staff who have taken on substantial new responsibilities to have their roles re-evaluated.

But local government employers have so far refused their staff the same opportunity, even though the sector suffered the worst staffing cuts during the economic crisis.