Following twelve months of work and discussion from a dedicated group of administrative officer members, Fórsa today publishes Reforming the AO Grade: Administrative Officers and their role in the Irish Civil Service.

“We know – and have known – about the pay discrepancy between the AO and higher executive officer (HEO) grade,” said assistant general secretary, Seán Carabini.

"In fact, at our inaugural civil service conference in 2018, there was a clear mandate given to pursue this issue. However, to look only at this issue in isolation would have been, in my opinion, a missed opportunity. What are the other issues faced by AOs that need to be addressed? That’s why we decided in 2021 to do a wide-ranging survey of all AOs. A group of AOs then volunteered to meet regularly to discuss the issues and devise a series of recommendations to improve their working conditions. It’s a good piece of work.” he continued.

The report will be used by the Divisional Executive Committee to make informed policy decisions in relation to improving the AO terms and conditions.

“One of the biggest issues with the AO grade is that all too often, an AO is given exactly the same workload and expected to perform the same duties as a HEO. That would be fine if there wasn’t an €18,000 pay discrepancy at the start of the pay scale. If the AO really is a graduate entry programme, then there needs to come a time where they are no longer considered ‘graduates’ and are paid accordingly. At present, they only catch up with HEOs at the normal max of scale. How is that fair if they’re doing the same work?” said Seán.

While the report focuses on pay anomalies, it also focuses on other issues, such as higher scales eligibility, annual leave discrepancies and skillset misalignment.

Reforming the AO Grade: Administrative Officers and their role in the Irish Civil Service can be read here.

A central theme that emerged during engagements with administrative officers (AOs) over the last year is that many of the particulars of their terms and conditions – and some of the hidden pitfalls – are not widely known. In this short article, we seek to explain the current annual leave allowance for AOs.

There are two annual leave allowances – one for those who worked as an AO prior to 14^th December 2011 and one for those who started work in the grade after that date.

• Pre:14^th December 2011 AOs: An AO begins on 25, rising to 29 after 5 years’ service and to 31 after 10 years’ service.
• Post: 14^th December 2011 AOs: 25, rising to 29 after 5 years’ service and to 30 after 10 years’ service.

It should be noted that the term ‘service’ refers to service in the grade and not service in the civil service generally.

This is covered in the 2012 Department of Public Expenditure and Reform note E109/50/11.

There is a ‘however’ in relation to this. In most cases, the jump after 5 and 10 years is not automatic. A request must be made to Peoplepoint at the time and they will manually update it. It is important that people who have been working for more than 5 and more than 10 years check their allowance to see if it has been updated.

Generally speaking, these leave allowances also apply to grades linked, in pay terms, to the AO grade, including the grades of Third Secretary and Development Specialist Officer, for example.

Finally, it is noted that there is a significant discrepancy between the AO grade and the HEO grade in relation to annual leave. This is one of the items addressed in Fórsa’s Reforming the AO Grade: Administrative Officers and their role in the Irish Civil Service report.

A significant number of AOs have asked questions in relation to Higher Scales and how they work. This FAQ is designed to provide answers to some of the more commonly asked questions.

Q: What are higher scales?

A: Higher scales arose from an agreement made between the union and the then-Department of Finance in 1995. The agreement is recorded in Circular 24/1995. It provides for a higher pay scale for a proportion of staff serving in the EO, HEO and AO grades. It states that 30% of AOs will be placed on a higher scale. A higher scale is – literally – a higher pay scale. Once awarded it, you hold it until you leave or are promoted. It should be noted that a higher scale can be significantly higher than the standard pay scale. Even at the top of the pay scale, it can be worth an additional €6,000 per annum.

Q: Is a higher scale a promotion?

A: No. A higher scale is not a promotion. Although it carries more pay, there is no difference in task or responsibility level assigned to those on a higher scale.

Q: How do I apply for it?

A: Until a decade ago, higher scales for AOs were managed centrally. Now, they are managed by each individual department. The scheme allows local agreement on the rules for higher scales criteria and, as such, each department will have slightly different rules. In some of the larger departments, such as Revenue, it is not uncommon to find that many of the larger divisions within the department have their own higher scales schemes. Additionally, it is commonplace nowadays to find that the HEO and AO groups in a department are amalgamated for higher scales calculation.

There are two basic approaches. The first is based on length of experience in a grade (sometimes mistakenly referred to as ‘seniority’). The second approach is based on a locally-agreed ‘merit’ based system. Local HR will have details of the scheme in each department.

It is important to note that under the 1995 agreement, AOs must serve 3 years before they are allowed to be considered for appointment to the scale.

Q: How is the 30% figure calculated?

A: Most departments will take a ‘snapshot’ of staff numbers on one day a year and base their calculation off the snapshot. In some larger departments with more HR resourcing, they may be able to facilitate a second ‘snapshot’ day in a year. If there are less than 30% on higher scales, there will be vacancies. Vacancies arise when a person retires, resigns, is promoted to a new grade or leaves to join another part of the civil service. If there are more than 30% of AOs on higher scales, there will be no vacancies.

Q: How can there be more than 30% of people in a department with higher scales?

A: If you have higher scales and transfer to a new department, you carry your higher scales with you. Therefore, the numbers with higher scales in a department may increase because of transfers even in cases where a department has not awarded any higher scales itself.

Q: Does it count towards my pension and towards the calculation of starting pay should I be promoted?

A: Yes, higher scales are an established payscale. They are not considered an ‘allowance’. They are pay. Therefore, they count towards both pension and starting pay on promotion.

Q: If I am awarded it, when does it ‘kick in’?

A: This is one of the quirks of higher scales. If awarded, you do not see an immediate benefit. You will, rather, see the financial benefit begin 12 months after appointment to the higher scale.

Fórsa recently launched its new membership database system (Solas) which is designed to improve the union’s communication with you, and to ensure we have up-to-date contact details for all our members.

This initiative was informed by the experience of the pandemic, which underlined the necessity for us to keep in touch with you through reliable digital contact details.

The new membership system is fully compliant with GDPR data protection requirements and allows you to update your contact details directly. You can do it HERE.

Personal

In anticipation of a possible ballot on a public service pay deal in the coming months, it’s crucial that we can contact you.

One way to ensure Fórsa can always provide you with the information you need is to provide a personal email address, as many employers block information sent from the union to your work email address. Even those that permit mail from Fórsa could choose to block union communications at any time.

Once we have your personal email address, we will always be able to reach you and ensure that you are fully updated on important developments, including ballots.

Privacy

Please share this message with colleagues who may not receive the Fórsa news bulletin. To update your details quickly and easily visit the update my details page on the Fórsa website and complete the online form.

You can download a copy of Fórsa’s privacy statement HERE, which sets out how Fórsa is committed to protecting and securing your personal data in accordance with Irish and EU data protection legislation, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU2016/679) and Irish Data Protection Act 2018.

Visit Update my details at forsa.ie 

Applications are now open for the 2022 Fórsa Gaeltacht grant scheme, which will make 80 grants of €150 each available to assist children of Fórsa members attending residential Irish language courses in Gaeltacht areas this summer.

A further 40 grants of €70 are available to assist children to attend day-only Irish language courses held outside Gaeltacht areas.

Children of Fórsa members, who are aged between 11 years and 18 years of age on 1st July 2022, are eligible to apply for the grant scheme. You can download the application form HERE. Please download the form to a folder on your device prior to filling it out.

If you cannot use the fillable form online then please print the form, complete it in black pen and return it to: General Services Committee, Gaeltacht Scheme, Fórsa, Nerney’s Court, Dublin, D01 R2C5 to arrive before 5.30pm on Wednesday 31st August 2022.

All digital applications should be sent to Gaeltacht@forsa.ie. You should send any queries to the same address.