Fórsa has called for a review of the provision of face-to-face social protection services after a number of workers in a Dublin Intreo office tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.

A number of other staff members are said to be displaying coronavirus symptoms, and the office had closed on foot of HSE advice.

Fórsa official Paul MacSweeney said the outbreak underlined union fears that continued attendance at Intreo offices posed a significant, and largely unnecessary, risk of further spread of the virus.

“The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) has taken steps to promote online and phone engagement to reduce footfall. But, six weeks into the employment crisis, the continued availability of counter services is clearly encouraging people to breach the Government’s stay-at-home guidelines and put themselves and others at risk.

“In the face of that risk, it’s time for the department to review the need to keep offices open, and to find imaginative ways of serving the small minority of customers who are genuinely unable to access services online, by phone or by mail,” he said.

Paul has also asked DEASP to seek HSE advice on the issue of customers using Intreo centres outside their catchment area.

“With an office now closed on public health grounds, there’s clearly additional risk attached to customers going to other centres. It’s a risk to service-users and staff in those centres, and to public transport users and staff,” he said.

The union acknowledged that there has been a significant reduction in Intreo office opening hours, which has reduced risk by encouraging customers to use online and other remote services.

“Fórsa is now calling on DEASP to further review the provision of face to face services, given the inherent risk and the fact that these services are available remotely,” said Paul. 

He said the department should support Government policy by discouraging unnecessary travel. “We also continue to press for more remote working in the department, where two-thirds of staff are still travelling into work. A lot more work could be performed remotely,” he said.

In an extraordinary effort, departmental staff have processed well over 580,000 pandemic unemployment claims.