Workplace attendance: New advice to issue
by Hazel Gavigan
 
 Head of Fórsa’s local government and municipal divisions, Peter Nolan, said it was vital that employers strictly adhere to public health advice.
Head of Fórsa’s local government and municipal divisions, Peter Nolan, said it was vital that employers strictly adhere to public health advice.

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which represents council employers, has again agreed to write to local authorities to ensure that only essential workers are required to attend the workplace. This follows a strong intervention by Fórsa earlier this month.

 

The union says most local authorities have been adhering to public health advice, but this isn’t the case in all areas.

 

Head of Fórsa’s local government and municipal divisions, Peter Nolan, said it was vital that employers strictly adhere to public health advice.

 

“The union understands that responding to the needs of homeless people is essential, whereas dealing with long term rent arrears is not. Equally, landscaping and plant control in parks is not a priority during a pandemic,” he said.

 

Earlier this month, Fórsa said guidelines issued to local authority managers fell short of official Government advice to employers across the economy. As a result, there had been no significant reduction in the numbers of public service staff being instructed to travel to work since the country entered level five restrictions last month.

 

The official economy-wide Government advice at level five is that employees should work from home unless they perform “an essential health, social care or other essential service,” which “cannot be done from home.”

 

But the guidelines issued to public service employers by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), most recently on 23rd December, are substantially weaker. They say: “Home working will continue as and when deemed appropriate by the employer, having regard to the changes that may be required at each level.”

 

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