A Higher Executive Panel (HEO) in Revenue, open since 2022, has now been fully exhausted, with all successful candidates placed on the panel offered a promotion. 

A commitment to attempt to exhaust the panel was obtained in negotiations last October, when Revenue had tried to advertise an open HEO competition. Fórsa made it absolutely clear that it is opposed to any across the board opening up of HEO competitions. 

At that time, the Fórsa executive grades branch in Revenue reacted swiftly to defend the existing internal promotion pathway for civil servants, arguing that staff with the skills and talent needed for the roles were already working in Revenue. The successful outcome of that dispute included a written commitment from the employer to maximise the existing internal HEO panel.  

Assistant general secretary Úna Faulkner said: “Without members’ tenacity and persistence we wouldn’t have achieved this outcome. Local knowledge allowed us to flag teams and locations where HEO promotions hadn’t taken place, so we were certain that there were roles that needed to be filled. This vindicates our position that the skill base needed for HEO roles is already in Revenue and clearly demonstrates what can be achieved when workers and their colleagues stand together.” 

Chair of the Revenue executive grades branch Pat Murtagh said: “This is a great result for the branch. The exhaustion of this panel had been one of the branch’s priorities during negotiations on the HEO Tax Specialist competitions. Last August there were 31 people left on the panel, by February that was down to 18.” 

“At that stage we were informed by management that there was little scope left for promotion from this panel, due to preferred locations. However, we stuck with the task in hand and our tenacity eventually paid off.” 

Des Ryder, Revenue executive grades partnership official, said: “This is of real benefit to the members who have been promoted, and for those who may now wish to fill the new vacancies created at the Executive Officer level. Our members in Revenue are dedicated staff who want to stay working as civil servants, so protecting internal recruitment pathways for them is very important.”  

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