Members working in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in local authorities are being asked to attend an online meeting on Thursday 2nd July to provide them with an update on ongoing negotiations. 

The ICT workers’ negotiating team has been engaging with local authorities’ management on a regular basis since industrial action forced the establishment of a high-level joint union-management working group earlier this year. 

Negotiations are being overseen by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), with regular reviews by the WRC  to ensure progress. Both parties attended a review on Thursday 28th May and a further conciliation hearing is planned for August. 

According to head of division Richy Carrothers, the terms of reference for the working group, established in April, have allowed the negotiating team to keep discussions on track and focussed on the key issues of ICT structure and grading, continuous professional development, and out-of-hours work. 

Richy said: “We have been meeting regularly with management and are making progress. Even though we are coming up against tough opposition, the terms of reference have kept discussions on point and allowed us to keep moving forward.” 

He stressed the importance of keeping members involved and up to date with negotiations. He said: “The progress we’ve made has been built on industrial action taken by members earlier this year.”  

He continued: “We hope every member working in ICT in local authorities will attend on Thursday 2nd July. It is important that members know where we are in negotiations, which have been difficult and time-consuming. I have stressed to management that the industrial action is simply paused at this stage to allow for a meaningful and solution-focussed approach.”   

The update meeting will take place via Teams from 12.30pm-13.15pm on Thursday 2nd July. A sign-up form will be sent to members shortly.  

If you are a member working in ICT in local authorities and not receiving emails on ICT negotiations, contact lghelp@forsa.ie to ensure we have your correct details. 

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.