Industrial action by IMPACT members at South Dublin County Council has ended following the union’s acceptance of Labour Relations Commission proposals to resolve the dispute over management’s unilateral withdrawal of acting payments. A second one-day strike, planned for yesterday (Thursday) was also avoided.
Speaking after a general meeting of over 300 IMPACT members in Tallaght on Wednesday afternoon, national secretary Peter Nolan said the union’s objectives had been met. “We sought the restoration of the payments cut from staff in April, and we sought an independent review of the staffing structure of South Dublin County Council. The proposals tabled this morning by the LRC address both of these issues,” he said.
Peter said that the outcome of the LRC discussions represented a substantial achievement. “Throughout this dispute I was particularly impressed with the solidarity shown by our members, which made it possible to achieve the result we have today,” he said.
Shane Lambert, cathaoirleach of IMPACT’s Local Government division, who works in the council, said members had responded positively to the LRC proposals. “The mood in the room was one of positivity, reflecting that we’d achieved our aims,” he said.
He said members had been determined to resist management’s imposition of cuts to allowances. “My colleagues expressed their determination to resist the unilateral actions of management. It has been a difficult couple of months for everyone involved. They took strike action in response to what they saw was an injustice and I’m really moved by how they stuck together throughout this,” he said.
Under the proposals, the LRC will chair a review of the staffing structure in the council. Unions and management will make submissions on the workforce plan, with a review to be completed by early September. In the meantime, staff who had acting payments withdrawn will have the money restored.
