IMPACT has welcomed the change to the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act announced last week.

The FEMPI laws were first introduced in order to cut the public service pay bill in 2009. Last week, the Government announced its intention to remove Section 2B of the most recent Act, introduced as a limited contingency measure in 2013.

Last month the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, indicated his intention to begin the process of dismantling the legislation. He told the Dáil he would “open the books in the same open way as I did in the negotiations for Haddington Road and come to an orderly and, I hope, fair mechanism for unwinding the emergency provisions that were necessitated by the economic collapse”.

This followed comments by Minister Howlin in August, indicating his intention to hold negotiations with unions next year on the start of public service pay restoration. In an interview with the Irish Independent he warned that the pay cuts of recent years would not be restored all at once, but said he wanted talks with unions on the “unravelling” of pay cuts.

Prime Time

Responding to the changed legislation, RTE’s Prime Time broadcast a report about the possibility of pay restoration for public service workers and asked “Can the country afford it?"

IMPACT's communications officer, Niall Shanahan, appeared on the programme and took part in a studio debate with Patricia Callan of the Small Firms Association. You can watch the programme here. The Prime Time report commences at 18:26, and the studio discussion is from 23:31.



Related: IMPACT welcomes legislative changes to public service industrial relations

IMPACT members working at Aer Lingus, including cabin crew and some management grades, completed a ballot this week to approve proposals to address the Irish Aviation Superannuation Scheme (IASS) deficit of €707m.

The ballot, conducted by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) airport group, which includes members of Siptu and the TEEU, voted by a margin of 70% to 30% in favour of the proposals, developed by the specially appointed Expert Group on the pension scheme.

The ballot result was announced on Wednesday (5th November).

IMPACT national secretary Matt Staunton said the ballot result brings an end to five years of anxiety and uncertainty for the workers in the scheme. “It also brings an end to the sense of dread that there might be no pension when they retire. Having worked and contributed for years, this was a dreadful burden hanging over these workers and their families” he said.

The Expert Group’s report had recommended an increase in the capital sums payable into the pensions of Aer Lingus workers (increased to €146.7m), lower future pension contributions for lower paid active members and a doubling of the employer’s current contribution.

Following its publication, unions sought implementation proposals from each of the employers (Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport Authority) on which to ballot members. Aer Lingus provided these and union members in the company were asked to ballot on a draft collective agreement containing specific proposals. The proposals included direct payments to staff over the next two years and details of a funded defined contribution (DC) pension scheme for future service.

A ‘personal illustration’ was supplied to members of the scheme, outlining the additional payments the employers would make if the proposals were accepted, and outlining the projected pension benefits at normal retiring age, based on personal details and on certain investment assumptions.

Matt said the outcome had the potential to deliver a decent percentage of final pay for Aer Lingus workers upon retirement. “The next step now is for the company to convene a meeting of its shareholders to seek approval to pay the additional funds required by these recommendations. Assuming that happens, it will bring these years of uncertainty and intense negotiations to a conclusion” he said.

Matt has called upon the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to immediately provide a similar collective agreement for DAA and Shannon Airport Authority members to vote on.

The IMPACT website hosts a dedicated page with detailed information and documentation about the pension deficit proposals.

An internal audit by the HSE has confirmed that the awarding of successive contracts to a management consultancy, Starline, by the Limerick Hospitals Group was non-compliant with EU tender regulations and the HSE’s own financial regulations.

IMPACT members working at the Limerick Hospitals Group commenced industrial action last July in opposition to the payment of a €250,000 annual fee to Starline for a chief operations manager. The union described the payments to the management consultancy as excessive and unwarranted.

IMPACT official Andy Pike explained “The HSE wrote to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in October, prompted by questions raised by IMPACT regarding the probity of engaging the firm to pay for the salary of one individual. The HSE’s admission that its own financial regulations were breached, and that the process also breached EU rules, vindicates IMPACT’s position that the use of a management consultant was inappropriate” he said.

An issue also arose in which the chief operations manager procured the services of a company of which he was a former director and current shareholder.

Andy explained that IMPACT is making contact with the head of the HSE National Hospitals Office and the chair of the PAC to request that the full audit report be placed on the public record. The HSE has, so far, only published a brief summary of selected findings.

Andy added, “We also need to know if the HSE now intends to pursue the reimbursement of payments to Starline that breached regulations and we have called for an independent investigation into how these breaches took place.”

Andy said that the current industrial action will remain in place until the contract with Starline is terminated.

IMPACT has written to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys, following reports and media coverage that the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) was considering the introduction of admission fees for visitors to the galleries and museums of the NMI.

Management was also considering the closure of some of its facilities from January 2015 as the NMI Board disclosed they will need an increase in funding of €650,000 to continue operating next year. IMPACT represents most of the staff at the NMI, including professional, technical and front of house staff.

IMPACT national secretary Matt Staunton criticised the proposals and said other cost saving initiatives should be considered, including the abolition of the NMI board and taking the NMI functions back within the department. Matt highlighted international experience that charging admission into cultural institutions causes a 40% drop in visitor number in year one alone, causing major tourism and national recovery implications.

The NMI is made up of four museums: the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History on Dublin’s Merrion Street; the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology on Kildare Street; the Decorative Arts and History museum at Collins Barracks; and the Country Life museum in Co Mayo.

Matt told Minister Humphreys that abolishing the board and moving the agency’s function back into the relevant department would allow available resources to be used much more effectively. “This would also create the potential to improve existing levels of service without any need to consider admission fees for a service that plays a vital role in tourism and education.” Matt said that imposing admission fees would be a shortsighted and damaging measure. “The museums and galleries are a priceless national resource should remain open to everyone” he said.

Matt added that the number of front of house staff has reduced by 40% since 2008. “This has happened while the same agency’s over-graded and unnecessary management team has been maintained, which makes little sense” he said.

In an email to staff last week, NMI director Raghnall Ó Floinn confirmed the board had met to discuss “difficult options” facing the museum but said no decisions had been taken. Staff only became aware of the proposals after they had been reported in the media.

Yes Equality, a joint campaign to encourage people to register to vote this November, ahead of next year’s referendum on civil marriage equality, was launched this week.

The campaign, launched by The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN); the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and Marriage Equality will be run in collaboration with organisations across the country, including the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), IMPACT and other trade unions.

The campaign was launched in Cork this week by campaigner Joanne O’Riordan, featured in the documentary film ‘No Limbs No Limits’, and Eoin Murphy, goalkeeper for All-Ireland Hurling Champions, Kilkenny.

Speaking at the launch, Eoin Murphy highlighted the importance of being on the voter register: “Next year we will have an important referendum on civil marriage equality. We want to make sure that no one misses the opportunity to have their voice heard on polling day. We are asking people to join us in registering to vote so that they can be part of creating a fairer Ireland for all.”

Joanne O’Riordan said: “Younger voters in this referendum have the chance to make a real difference. This voter registration campaign is a critical first step in getting the vote out. We cannot afford to miss a single vote and if you’re not registered you can’t vote for civil marriage equality.”

The Yes Equality campaign will run until 25^th November, the deadline for registering to vote on the 2015 Register of Electors. People will be asked to get the message out to their friends and families about the importance of being registered to vote in time for the referendum.

In May this year IMPACT’s biennial delegate conference, made up of representatives from all the union’s branches, unanimously voted to support a ‘yes’ vote in any future referendum on marriage equality.

Sinead Costello of the union’s Sligo branch said it was not reasonable to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. “The state is effectively saying it does not value, respect or acknowledge the status of same-sex couples in the same way as heterosexual couples. Opinion polls tell us that the vast majority of the public believe in marriage equality for gay people. This is an issue for IMPACT members whether gay or straight,” she said.

The union’s equal opportunities officer Pat Fallon said the union would work with other civil society groups on the issue: “Same sex marriage is a trade union issue. IMPACT is against oppression and discrimination,” he said.

The Injuries Board published figures this week indicating a recent increase in accidents in the workplace, and has said that the increase is likely to be due to the upturn in the economy.  

Data produced by the Injuries Board shows a year-on-year increase in the number of awards made as a result of accidents in the workplace.

IMPACT, which represents inspectors at the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), has issued a number of warnings on the likelihood of this upward trend, as overall employment numbers continue to climb while the number of workplace inspections continues to drop due to a decrease in the number of HSA staff available to carry out inspections.

The number of inspections had dropped from 16,000 in 2009 to 13,000 in 2012 and 12,244 last year.

IMPACT official Geraldine O’Brien said three front-line inspectors had been redeployed from the HSA in just over a year. She said that this could result in 900 fewer inspections. Geraldine added “A further five front-line inspector posts have been earmarked for future redeployment to meet official staffing reduction targets. Meanwhile, the number of people working in often hazardous workplaces continues to grow.”

National secretary Matt Staunton added "Government inaction on this issue will inevitably lead to a rise in the cost of insurance in workplaces. This would likely have a knock-on effect of stunting our fragile national recovery. There is a well proven connection between positive workplace health and safety and a reduction in insurance premiums, which have become one of the biggest employment costs in recent years. The deliberate running down of the HSA by its funding department (Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation) will cause this situation to get worse instead of better" he said.

Proposals on new annual leave arrangements for new entrants and promotees working in local authorities will be considered by IMPACT’s local government divisional executive on Monday (10^th November).

The proposals, which were developed through conciliation at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) would retrospectively replace interim arrangements in place since 2012.

The new arrangements would see a clerical officer move from 22 days of annual leave onto an incremental scale which would bring them up to 29 days after five years of service. Other grades, including technician and engineer grades, would see a slight increase in annual leave, with the standard for most grades increased to 30 days.

IMPACT national secretary Peter Nolan commented, “The proposed revision of leave is a major breakthrough. Most significantly, these arrangements would remove any obstacles to future promotion for members.”

IMPACT has intervened in a number of school applications for the JobBridge internship scheme this month, following reports that the scheme is being used to make up shortfalls in staffing in education.

In September, IMPACT called for more effective monitoring as evidence emerged that it was probable that the scheme was being abused. Since then the Department of Social Protection has banned  44 companies from JobBridge following allegations of widespread exploitation.

IMPACT official Dessie Robinson has reported concerns over a number of applications to the Department of Social Protection. The Department has stopped a number of these and a decision on a number of other applications is still pending.

Dessie explained, “Some schools were trying to use the JobBridge scheme when their allocation of special needs assistants is reduced by the National Council Special Education (NCSE) to makeup this shortfall. This is not what the scheme was designed for.

“IMPACT’s policy in relation to JobBridge is that the scheme has value as a work experience opportunity for people who are out of work. However, it must be properly supervised and mentored, it must provide adequate supports and training and it must not be used to displace existing jobs” he said.

IMPACT will continue to engage with both the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Social Protection to ensure that the scheme is not being abused. Dessie has asked SNA members to remain vigilant and to report any suspected abuse of the scheme to their local IMPACT representative.

The Municipal Employees division of IMPACT has called for a constitutional referendum to guarantee Ireland’s water resources be protected from any future privatisation. The call was made at a meeting of the division’s executive on Monday (3^rd November).

IMPACT national secretary Peter Nolan said “The Irish government should take advantage of the national debate on water services to ensure that the mistakes made in other countries should not be repeated.”

Peter said that international experience of water privatisation had seen european capitals, including Paris, Berlin and Budapest, take their water and sanitation services back into municipal control. He added “If we can give our water services that constitutional protection it would guarantee that Ireland would never have to face the prospect of water privatisation.”

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Youth Committee launched its Five Rights Campaign for young people in Ireland last week.

The Rights Campaign identifies five demands to renew citizenship for young people in Ireland: A right to a future in Ireland; A right to a job; A right to decent and secure employment; A right to equal pay for equal work; A right to collectively bargain with their employers.

Read more here.

The Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) met this week to discuss the potential crisis facing the NI economy. 

Speaking after the meeting, ICTU Assistant General Secretary, Peter Bunting said: “After weeks of a blaming NI’s economic crisis on welfare reform, our politicians have now woken up to reality. Northern Ireland is facing years of austerity, of welfare reform, of privatisation, of service reductions and job cuts, while most political parties still seriously advocate a massive further tax cut for big businesses.”

Read more here.

Ruhama, the Dublin-based NGO which works nationally with women affected by prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation, launched its 2013 Annual Report this week.

In 2013 Ruhama provided assistance to more than 300 women, representing an increase of 18% since the previous year.

The organisation has assisted over 2,500 women affected by prostitution from over 60 different countries during its 25 years in existence.

Speaking at the launch, Sarah Benson, CEO, Ruhama said: “It is quite remarkable to see the number of women assisted by Ruhama and the range of nationalities which is indicative of the globalised sex trade which now exists in Ireland. I am also struck by the many changes which have taken place in the Irish sex trade, particularly how it has become increasingly organised by criminal gangs and adapted to the use of modern telecommunications to operate.

“Yet, among all those changes, some things have not changed fundamentally - there is still the persistence of harm, exploitation and risk which has always, and which continues to pervade the sex trade” she said.

There was an increase of 29% in the number of women (219) accessing Ruhama’s Casework, which involves designing a person-centred care. The number of women accessing the service has increased by 17% since 2012. Ruhama’s street outreach service assisted 70 women in 2013.

Immigrant Council campaigns on Tinder

The Immigrant Council of Ireland has launched a new campaign on the dating app, Tinder, to create awareness about sex trafficking in Ireland. It’s one of the first campaigns of its kind on Tinder, designed to raises awareness about the crimes behind sex trafficking and prostitution.

The campaign uses Tinder profiles to tell stories about victims of trafficking.

IMPACT, together with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and other organisations, has supported the Turn Off the Red Light campaign to end prostitution and sex trafficking in Ireland.