Local authority staff in Carlow have welcomed a decision by the Labour Court recommending the introduction of a flexi-time scheme by 1^st February 2015.

IMPACT and SIPTU trade unions had sought the introduction of a flexi-time scheme at Carlow County Council for a number of years. IMPACT assistant general secretary Shay Clinton explained that management at the local authority had always resisted efforts to discuss its introduction.

Shay said the recommendation would ensure that arrangements at the local authority would now be consistent with all other local authorities. “We made the case that, where flexi-time schemes are already in place in other local authorities, there has never been any reduction in the level of service to the public as a result.

“For many years, Carlow local authority staff had been met with absolute resistance by management on the introduction of a flexi-time scheme. Flexi-time is a very progressive model of managing working hours, accommodating the needs of staff while at the same time ensuring consistency and productivity in the delivery of services” he said.

Shay said that the Labour Court’s recommendation required unions and management to engage on agreeing the terms of a new flexi-time scheme. Shay added, “This is a very positive step for the staff involved, and we’re confident that management will quickly come to appreciate the value of the scheme once it’s in place.”

IMPACT members working at the Dublin and Shannon Airport Authorities will be balloted next month on proposals to address the IASS pension deficit. IMPACT is one of four unions balloting workers at the airport authorities in the coming weeks.

Assistant general secretary Johnny Fox said that preparations for a ballot are now underway. He said that information bulletins for members are being prepared and will be emailed out in the coming days, and will also be posted to the dedicated IASS webpage on the IMPACT website. "The ballot will be open from Monday 8th December and will close at 1pm on Sunday 14th December. Our advice to members is make sure they exercise their vote, this is a vitally important ballot. Don’t let someone else decide on these proposals for you.

"We're holding a series of information meetings from 1st December which will give members the opportunity to ask questions and inform themselves about the proposals. I'm encouraging members to attend one of these meetings if they can because it's the best opportunity to fully inform themselves about what this means for their future pension entitlements" he said.

Meetings will take place as follows:

• Monday 1st December -  Park Hotel, Cork Airport 10.30 and 14.00

• Tuesday 2nd December - North Terminal Dublin Airport at 11.00, 13.00 and 18.30                         

• Thursday 4th December - Oakwood Arms Hotel Shannon at 12.00

Earlier this month, a ballot conducted by the ICTU airport group in Aer Lingus votedby a margin of 70% to 30% in favour of the proposals, which were developed by the specially appointed Expert Group on the pension scheme. Aer Lingus will hold an EGM of its shareholders next month at which the board will seek approval for a €190.7m payment into new pension plans.

IMPACT assistant general secretary Richy Carrothers has said the union will not support the development of a staffless library project in Tubbercurry in Sligo. He said the plan is a retrograde step and has already been rejected or deferred in three of the original five locations selected for piloting the scheme. Sligo County Council announced a pilot scheme for Tubbercurry this week.

Richy commented "Kerry County Council declined to participate while Fingal and Dun Laoghaire Councils have deferred indefinitely their plans to open staffless libraries. Only Offaly and Sligo remain. The concept of staffless libraries is, we believe, part of a wider agenda to downgrade library provision and de-professionalise the service as national plans to amalgamate libraries continue to develop. The proposal to run libraries with no staff at certain times raises very real health and safety concerns, as well as child protection concerns.

"Employers have failed to negotiate with us in a meaningful way and have pushed ahead with implementation, effectively ignoring the views of our members. In this regard, IMPACT members will not be assisting with the role out or implementation of the staffless library project in Tubbercurry" he said.

Richy said that library staff would be informing library users about their concerns. In an information leaflet for distribution to library users, the union says "Our library service has remained a precious source of information and recreation for everyone in the community throughout the economic difficulties of recent years. We are genuinely concerned that the proposal to run staffless library opening hours in Tubercurry will erode the quality of the service provided to you. In other countries where this proposal has been tested, we’ve learned that staffed opening hours are further reduced, further eroding the library service."

The leaflet encourages library users to inform their local elected representatives that a "library staffed by experienced and helpful staff cannot be replaced by an empty building with automated checkouts."

IMPACT’s Developing World Fund has responded to an urgent request from Public Services International (PSI) to support PSI’s aid fund in the fight against the Ebola virus.

PSI provides immediate relief and assistance of PSI members and their families, especially in cases where health workers have died and their families have no access to social protection. Deaths to health workers account for one in every ten who have died. Many PSI members have been killed in the line of duty.

IMPACT, which is affiliated to PSI, has made a donation of €10,000 to the Ebola aid fund. The money comes from the union’s developing world fund, made up of 3% of each member’s union subscription, which helps trade union solidarity and development projects around the world.

The outbreak of Ebola fever has already caused the death of 4877 people and 9936 may be infected according to the most recent World Health Organisation report in October.

PSI has been monitoring the situation since April, when the affiliates in the West African Health Sector Unions’ Network (WAHSUN) tried to raise the alarm. PSI is working with the ILO and WHO for urgent interventions to address the situation of health care workers.

“Health workers must have the tools to do their jobs. Our members are dying because of unsafe working conditions, this is criminal neglect,” warns PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli.

PSI affiliates throughout Africa, including in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, are mobilising their members against the spread of the disease, but PSI say they need the help of the PSI community.

PSI is also looking into medium and long-term projects to help affiliates ensure that all workers coming in contact with Ebola be appropriately trained and protected, with access to necessary tools and personal protective equipment.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has called for the restoration of wage-setting mechanisms in key sectors of the economy such as construction, in order to halt the race to the bottom in wages and standards and to restore some protection for workers’ livelihoods.

Addressing the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation last week Congress vice-President Patricia King said “We need to bring back some balance for workers in key sectors through the restoration of wage-setting mechanisms. In areas such as construction, the absence of these mechanisms has seen wages and standards undermined in a race to the bottom.

“Restoration of these mechanisms in sectors where they previously applied would help address this problem and provide some certainty and protection in relation to peoples’ livelihoods,” Ms King said.

The Congress delegation of vice-President Patricia King and Legal Affairs Officer, Esther Lynch was addressing the Joint Committee in relation to the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2014.

The Government is to carry out a study into the prevalence of 'zero-hour' and low hour contracts and the impact of such contracts on employees. Zero-hour contracts of employment are contracts typically where the employee is available for work but does not have specified or guaranteed hours of work.  These types of contracts are usually found in sectors such as retail, hospitality, health and education.

The Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash TD, issued a call this week for tenders to carry out the study.

The key objectives of the study are:-

• To fill the gap that currently exists in terms of the hard data and information that is available concerning the prevalence of “zero hours contracts” in the Irish economy and the manner of their use.
• To assess the impact of “zero hours contracts” on employees.
• To enable evidence-based policy recommendations to Government considered necessary on foot of the study.

Minister Nash said, “We are seeing increasing debate both at home and further afield on zero hour contracts.  But, there is a distinct lack of hard data in Ireland on the prevalence of zero hour contracts and low hour contracts and the impact they have on workers.  We are addressing this information gap through this study.

“We need to map and better understand the prevalence and impact of zero hour contracts in Irish employment and then decide what policy changes, if any, Government needs to make in response to the findings.

“Workers here have more protections than their counterparts in Britain through the Organisation of Working Time Act.  This ensures that where employees suffer a loss by not being given the hours they were requested to work or be available for work, they can be compensated for 25% of the time or 15 hours, whichever is less.  But, we also want to know if workers are availing of this mechanism" he said.

All sectors of the economy are expected to come within the scope of the study; however, a particular focus will be on the retail, hospitality, education and health sectors. The study is expected to cover both the public and private sectors.

It's also expected that stakeholders including employers, employees, employer representative bodies, trade unions and Government Departments will be canvassed to contribute to the study.

The request for tenders was issued on the Government’s e-tenders website this week and the deadline for applications is the 15^th December.

It's expected that the study will commence early in the New Year and will report back its findings in the second quarter of 2015.  

Disposable income levels dipped slightly in the last three months, but are reported to be in a better state than they have been for the past four years. The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) released details of their income tracker survey last week, which reveal that, despite an increase since last year in the number of people who believe that their income has either improved or remained the same, one in seven people have no disposable cash at the end of the month.

A total of 1.7m people believe they have 100 euro or less left over when all their bills are paid. The findings of the report demonstrate the growing need for wage recovery across all sectors of the Irish economy.

CBI says fall in real wages cannot go on forever

In the UK, the Confederation of British Industry has warned that the fall in real wages there cannot go on forever and said that the squeeze on household budgets “has taken its toll”.

Director general Jonathan Cridland said he agreed with TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady that a wage rise is needed to encourage consumption and “a greater sense that everybody is sharing" in the UK’s economic recovery. However, the CBI said improvements in take-home pay must come from cuts in national insurance payments and financial childcare supports. He opposed calls for the UK government to raise the minimum wage saying that politicians “cannot create a single job”, a sentiment that is likely to be echoed by employer bodies in Ireland as upward wage pressure increases.

The Annual General Meeting of the Munster SNA branch takes place tomorrow (Saturday 22nd November) at the IMPACT office, Roxborough Road, Limerick from 11am to 12.30pm.

The  meeting will elect a branch committee for the 2014-2016 period and the theme of the meeting is Solidarity in Education, and will be addressed by deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan and assistant general secretary Dessie Robinson.

IMPACT organiser Joan McCrohan added, "We will look at the current issues facing SNAs in Munster and will look ahead to next year as the union continues its focus on wage recovery."

Joan added that the branch will make a presentation to staff of St. Gabrielle's school in the name of Kathleen Noonan. "Kathleen was a member of the committee that lead to the creation of our union branch. She passed away in October last year. She was a very special person and her loss is still felt by all who knew her" she said.