Outsourcing in social protection opposed
by Róisín McKane
 
Fórsa official Paul Mac Sweeney said the union had questioned this approach in March, but said it was definitely inappropriate now.
Fórsa official Paul Mac Sweeney said the union had questioned this approach in March, but said it was definitely inappropriate now.

Fórsa has formally opposed the temporary outsourcing of some Department of Social Protection (DSP) telephony work to an external provider. The union says the outsourcing is unnecessary and breaches the current public service agreement, and added that it will take further action if the problem isn’t remedied.

 

The union has called for a significant increase in departmental staffing to deal with a surge in queries, mainly regarding pandemic-related issues. It’s estimated that calls to the Income Support Helpline reached as many as 10,000 a day in the first two weeks of level five Covid restrictions, and will be around 7,000 a day after that.

 

The outsourcing of specific telephone work took place at the outset of the Covid-19 crisis earlier this year, based on what the department said was an emergency response to staffing issues.

 

Fórsa official Paul Mac Sweeney said the union had questioned this approach in March, but said it was definitely inappropriate now.

 

“Fórsa opposed the temporary outsourcing early in the pandemic, but there was some rationale that this was an emergency response by the Department. That may have been the case in March, but we do not accept that there is an emergency situation now. Management has had more than seven months to put adequate resources in place, including appropriate training,” he said.

 

Paul said more directly-employed staff were needed “so that our members can continue to provide a speedy and quality service to those who have become unemployed in very large numbers.”

 

In correspondence to the DSP, Fórsa has expressed its willingness to work with management to identify appropriate resources to supplement the telephone helpdesk, both from a civil service and a wider public sector pool.

 

“The department is currently receiving assistance from members in other civil service departments who have been redeployed during the crisis. The support of our members from the NSSO and passport office is greatly appreciated,” said Paul.

 

Derek Mullen, head of Fórsa’s Civil Service Division, has advised the department that it would be in dispute with the union if it proceeded to outsource the work. He said that although industrial relations was suspended at the onset of the pandemic, that agreement has ceased to apply.

 

“It is no longer that industrial relations are suspended, Fórsa will do what it has to do to prevent further outsourcing of our member’s work,” said Derek.

 

“We will however continue to work with the employer to achieve internal solutions in the short term including whatever support we can get from other public sector bodies,” he said.

 

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