Fórsa critical of DPER changes
by Róisín McKane
 
Seán said abolishing the role has sent the wrong message to our members.
Seán said abolishing the role has sent the wrong message to our members.

Fórsa has criticised the decision to abolish the role of head of civil service human resources in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), as part of a departmental restructure.

 

The former assistant secretary role was dedicated to the development of human resource (HR) policy across the civil service and had been introduced as part of a reform agenda ostensibly designed, amongst other things, to elevate the civil service to an “employer of choice”.

 

Fórsa official Seán Carabini expressed his disappointment at the decision, and said the move was a retrograde step.

 

“At a time when we’re introducing HR policies to make it easier for people to navigate the boundaries between home and work life, it’s surely more important than ever to have a dedicated HR unit in DPER – the department that makes HR policy for the entire civil service,” he said.

 

Seán explained that while the task of drafting and introducing HR policies will still be carried out by DPER, the absence of a decision maker at assistant secretary level to drive polices forward will be seen by some as an impediment.

 

“Whether you like it or not, stripes matter. Sometimes you need the right person with the right authority to drive something through. Whether they know it or not, they’ve just made it a little harder to get good HR policies introduced,” he said.

 

Seán said abolishing the role has sent the wrong message to our members.

 

“The pandemic allowed members to realise the value of a work life balance, and we were hopeful that Government would have proactively embraced the work practice changes that are now possible. The role of Fórsa in continuing to push the government and DPER for improved terms and conditions is now more important than ever,” he said.

 

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