Fórsa has engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the duration of probation in the civil service, following a claim to have probationary periods reduced to six months, down from the current twelve.

The EU Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions was transposed into Irish law in December, with one of the principles directing that precarious period of employment be kept to a minimum. Fórsa official Seán Carabini argued that there is no more precarious time in employment than probation.

“The Irish Law now states that public service probation shall not be longer than twelve months. We have called for it to be a standard six months both to bring us into line with European norms and to reduce precarity,” he said.

Seán noted that there are additional concerns at play, addressing how the Directive has been transposed.

“Since the Directive was transposed in December, we have a situation whereby the law states that public sector probation cannot be for more than 12 months. However, at present, there are times where a person may require an additional three or so months in order to address any performance concerns. People who appeal a recommendation to have their probation considered unsatisfactory are, in some cases, given the additional time to prove themselves and remove any doubts. But the way the directive has been transposed is a problem. Probation for civil service workers is twelve months at present. The new law means that it can’t be extended beyond twelve months,” he said.

Seán explained that both factors make for compelling reasons to reduce probation periods.

“We have made our claim to have probation reduced. We have two compelling rationales for it – both the principles underpinning the Directive and the new problem of no facility to extend a probation. We will await a response from the management side,” he said.

*Note: It is still possible to extend probation where it has been paused for statutory reasons, eg, Maternity Leave etc.