South Dublin acting row leads to ballot
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A decision by South Dublin County Council management to abolish ‘acting’ positions – effectively ordering staff to continue to perform senior duties, but on a lower pay rate – has led IMPACT members in the council to ballot for industrial action. The ballot result is expected today and the form of industrial action could be announced next week.
In an act of calculated bad faith, council management announced its intention to cut the pay of staff in acting positions just days before a Labour Relations Commission hearing, which was to arbitrate on the matter. Local talks had broken down after management told the union it intended to change the pay rates rather than regularising the acting positions as agreed in the talks that led to the Haddington Road agreement.
IMPACT said management was in breach of Haddington Road and was effectively extending pay cuts to staff below the €65,000 earnings threshold set out in the deal. The union also condemned management for refusing to discuss its proposals, saying that they were non-negotiable.
Many of the affected staff have been working at the more senior levels for years. They have already seen their pay cut by an average 14% since 2009 and have seen their working time increased under the Haddington Road agreement.
During the talks that produced the Haddington Road agreement, IMPACT won agreement on a process to regularise long-term acting positions following the completion of a workforce plan in each local authority.
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