Haddington Road hours body set up
by Bernard Harbor
 
In a communication to Fórsa branches yesterday (6th May), the union’s general secretary Kevin Callinan said he believed the timetable could be met, and added that he’d continue to work to ensure that it is.
In a communication to Fórsa branches yesterday (6th May), the union’s general secretary Kevin Callinan said he believed the timetable could be met, and added that he’d continue to work to ensure that it is.

This week saw the formal establishment of the body charged with making recommendations to begin the process of addressing the additional working hours introduced for many civil and public servants under the 2013 Haddington Road agreement.

 

On Fórsa’s insistence, the recently-ratified Building Momentum agreement established a mechanism for addressing the hours, with significant funding set aside to commence implementation next year.

 

The new body will take submissions from management and unions representing the grades concerned, and make recommendations by the end of 2021.

 

In a communication to Fórsa branches yesterday (6th May), the union’s general secretary Kevin Callinan said he believed the timetable could be met, and added that he’d continue to work to ensure that it is.

 

The initial implementation of the body’s recommendations is set to commence in 2022, with €150 million set aside for this purpose. This means working time will start to be reduced for the grades concerned from next year.

 

Building Momentum also says that any subsequent public service agreement will address any residual action required on the issue.

 

Yesterday, the Government formally announced that the body will be chaired by former WRC chief executive Kieran Mulvey.

 

The ICTU Public Services Committee, which represents most public service unions, has nominated former IMPACT general secretary Peter McLoone and former INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) general secretary Liam Doran to the body.

 

This is because Fórsa and the INMO represent the largest number of civil and public servants affected by the introduction of additional working hours in 2013.

 

DPER is expected to nominate two retired senior civil servants to the body, and there will also be two ‘independent’ Government nominees. It is understood that the latter will most likely be from the personal management/IR consultancy sector.

 

It is intended that the body will be broadly gender-balanced.

 

Kevin said he hoped to coordinate a single joint union submission to the body. “I believe this is the best way to underpin the united approach that has so far delivered on this and other issues in the negotiation and ratification of Building Momentum,” he said.

 

 

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