Legal aid board claims launched
by Mehak Dugal
 
Fórsa assistant general secretary Seán Carabini said the union was determined to use the new industrial relations structures to bring about improvements for staff.
Fórsa assistant general secretary Seán Carabini said the union was determined to use the new industrial relations structures to bring about improvements for staff.

Fórsa has lodged six claims in relation to career progression and annual leave issues in the newly established Legal Aid Board departmental council. The departmental council is a forum for unions and management to deal with claims and other industrial relations issues.

 

The union has sought career progression avenues for clerical officers (COs) following its workplace survey, which showed a clear need for promotional outlets.

 

Fórsa assistant general secretary Seán Carabini said the union was determined to use the new industrial relations structures to bring about improvements for staff.

 

“The workplace survey we conducted earlier in the year showed a clear need and appetite for promotional outlets for COs, particularly in regional offices. We are hoping to be able to explore this issue within the council, so that everyone has a fair chance at career progression. The work exists. We need to make sure that the right grade and pay structure also exists,” he said.

 

On pay parity, the union is seeking the same starting pay arrangements that other civil service solicitors enjoy. It has also lodged a claim to have all grade III solicitors moved onto the state solicitor pay scale, which applies in the rest of the civil service.

 

Seán said Legal Aid Board grade III solicitors work as diligently and carry the same workloads, and require the same professional qualifications as legal professionals working in other Government departments.

 

“Why, then, are they on a pay scale that ends over €10,000 less than their other civil service legal professional colleagues? Today’s claim is the first step on the way to finding a remedy for this,” he said.

 

The union has also sought to have the vacant positions of legal staff officer filled, and to end the practice of filling general vacancies from location-specific posts.

 

The union’s final claim seeks annual leave parity for mediators. Thought they are linked to the engineer pay scale, they do not currently get the same annual leave.

 

“The annual leave argument is straightforward. Annual leave is attached to grades in the civil service. Yet, for some reason, the mediators have a lower annual leave allowance than they should have and we’d like to see it fixed,” said Seán.

 

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