IMPACT has told HSE management that it won’t accept proposals to withdraw the option for staff to take a pay reduction rather than increased hours under the Haddington Road agreement (HRA). The union’s national secretary Louise O’Donnell has advised members not to cooperate with the plan.

IMPACT and other unions have raised the issue with the health service group that monitors implementation of the HRA. Unions told the HSE that the move was a breach of the agreement and management is now expected to come back to the implementation group with a response.

The issue re-emerged earlier this month when the HSE’s HR director wrote to managers instructing them to withdraw the option of remaining on pre-Haddington Road hours.

Louise O’Donnell said unions were confident that this would be declared a clear breach of the agreement if the issue ends up in third party arbitration. “The agreement is absolutely clear that this option is there for staff. Management does not have the authority to re-write this or any other aspect of the deal,” she said.

In July this year IMPACT and other unions faced down the HSE when its ‘frequently asked questions’ document changed the wording of the HRA. The agreement says: “Management will allow persons to opt to remain on their current hours with appropriate pay adjustments for a period.” The HSE document had substituted the word “will” with “may.”