IMPACT has rejected a claim by public expenditure minister Brendan Howlin that the HSE has identified ‘at least 1500 administrators who are surplus to requirements.’ The Minister made the claim in a radio interview on Monday (2nd September).

During the interview, the minister added “We need to get those [surplus staff] out of the system. We are not going to keep people in public employment as a social scheme. They have to be doing something that is absolutely essential. That is my job - to ensure that every element of the public service is delivering value for money.”

In a letter to the minister, IMPACT national secretary Louise O’Donnell said that the claim of 1500 surplus admin staff was entirely at odds with IMPACT trade union’s day to day dealings with health management and the experience of IMPACT members on the ground.  

“It is our experience that no area in the HSE has identified a surplus of administrative staff. In fact, most areas have identified shortfalls. The number of administrative staff in the HSE has been reduced to 2002 levels, a far more significant reduction than in any other area of public services in the recent past” she said.

She added that IMPACT members throughout the health service are working extremely hard in the most difficult circumstances. “They are conscious, regardless of their role, that there are patients needing treatment at the heart of everything they do. It is unfortunate, at best, to suggest that any of them are employed in any kind of social scheme” she said.

Louise added that the HSE employs roughly 500 administrative staff through external agencies as a direct result of shortages in some areas.  She said that, in general, outsourcing at this level is more expensive than recruitment.

“For example, the centralised PCRS centre, which issues medical cards, recently outsourced some work due to shortages of clerical and administrative staff. Cork University Hospital has sought to outsource the clerical and administrative functions of its A&E department because of similar shortages.  The recent proposal to outsource HSE payroll included a provision to move the existing payroll staff to other areas of the health service in order to cover shortfalls.

“None of these experiences suggests that there is much in the way of surplus clerical and administrative staff available within the HSE” she said.

Louise said that the health service has taken in clerical and administrative staff from parts of the civil service in order to deal with staff shortages and prevent gaps in services. “The recent opening of an incentivised career break scheme in the HSE received nearly 3000 applications. Of these, 280 were granted, but most clerical and administrative staff who applied for the scheme were refused.

“Our daily experience is that clerical/admin staffing has been cut to the bone in most areas. In every instance management concede there is no more scope to cut. On redeployment issues, it is our experience that departments are desperately holding on to staff.

“Based on these experiences, I believe that there is more than a hint of urban myth in the assertion of such a surplus of administrative staff.  The figure has been publicly floated a number of times over the last few years and yet, when challenged, the HSE has never been able to identify where the alleged surpluses exist.  If new information is available which demonstrates such surpluses Minister, I would be very keen to learn where they are, so that we can constructively address the issue” she said.

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Apocryphal tales

Many commentators are fond of framing their comments about public servants by reserving particular contempt for so-called 'backroom' staff or 'pen pushers'. Received wisdom suggests that the public sector is composed of a gigantic swathe of extravagantly paid clerical and administrative staff with nowhere to go and nothing to do, while a tiny army of 'frontline' staff do all the work for next to nothing. It is a cartoonish vision of public servants which has served to divide workers almost as effectively as the wedge that was driven between private and public sector workers, most notably in the early years of Ireland's economic collapse. Read more

Pilots at Aer Arann have voted to accept a recent supplementary agreement by a majority of 85%. A planned strike of Aer Arann pilots in August was suspended to allow a negotiated agreement on pay to be put to ballot, following talks between representatives of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) and Aer Arann management.

The agreement re-establishes pay scale progression, which had been suspended in 2008, and establishes a retention bonus for pilots who commenced employment before 22nd July 2012 and who remain with Aer Arann after June 2014. The outcome of the talks also addressed pilots’ concerns about management’s willingness to seriously address the pay issue and paves the way to reconvene the pilot pay tribunal in 2014.

In a memo to Aer Arann management, the Aer Arann pilots group said they are committed to the full implementation of the agreement and looked forward to working with the management team in the same positive manner in which the August negotiations were held.

The independent think-tank TASC launched its analysis and proposals for Budget 2014 this week. Entitled Choosing an Equitable Route to Recovery - Further cuts risk Ireland’s economic and social wellbeing, TASC’s analysis says that a narrow focus on deficit reduction through cuts would be misguided.

TASC proposes that fiscal adjustment should be accompanied by a targeted programme of investment so as to help stimulate the economy, and said that the promissory note deal in February “allows flexibility with regard to the level of adjustment for 2014 to a much greater extent than in previous years’ budgets.”

A full copy of the document is available for download HERE, and a two page summary can also be downloaded HERE.

The Turn Off the Red Light campaign, which is supported by IMPACT, is challenging TDs to introduce legislation in the new Dáil term to criminalise the purchase of sex in order to end abuse, exploitation and human trafficking.

The Oireachtas Justice Committee made a unanimous recommendation for such legislation before the summer recess, following a process which attracted 800 written submissions and public hearings.

IMPACT is just one of 68 organisations which form the Turn Off the Red Light campaign which has been campaigning for  the new laws. The campaign is supported by trade unions, employers, emergency workers, farming groups, human rights organisations and survivors of prostitution.

The Government announced a review of the laws on prostitution last year. The Oireachtas Justice Committee undertook a detailed examination of the issues and arrived at a unanimous conclusion that the way forward is to introduce laws targeting those who purchase sex.

Meanwhile, 19 children were discovered in Irish ‘commercial sex’ during 2012 and an average of 800 women are offered for sale on-line every day.

Diane Kelly of the Immigrant Council of Ireland explained “The Criminal Assets Bureau estimates that the activity of the sex trade in Ireland is worth €180 million a year, which is why those behind the industry have sought to oppose any change to the current legislation, and have attempted to wage a misinformation campaign.”

Diane added, “We know from countries where prostitution was regularised that it has failed. Amsterdam is now trying to reverse its laws on prostitution and local police are actively cracking down on the red light district which has become a hub for human trafficking and other crime.

“The use of underage girls in legal brothels has forced the authorities to increase the minimum age for entry into prostitution, while Amsterdam police say up to 50% of managers in the brothels have criminal records. To ask us to believe that pimps and traffickers will overnight become model employers is not credible” she said.

IMPACT is supporting the campaign’s call to ensure that the new Dáil term will respond to the unanimous recommendations of the Justice Committee and use them for the basis of drafting new legislation. The union is also encouraging members to lend their voice to the campaign. It takes just one minute to contact your TD through the action page. Visit www.turnofftheredlight.ie/action.

Applications are now open for the IMPACT third level Industrial Relations Scholarship Scheme for 2013-2014. The purpose of the scheme is to financially assist union members to participate in certified educational courses, up to third (degree) level, that assist them to better carry out the role of union representative.

The deadline for receipt of fully completed applications in IMPACT Head Office is 5.30 pm on Friday 25th October. Applications must include all required supporting documentation and branch recommendation, and must be submitted before the deadline.

More details of the scheme, including requirements, grant information and an application form can be downloaded HERE.

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EU Water petition – last chance to sign before September 9th

IMPACT secured a significant win at the Labour Court in August, in a case involving a senior assistant chief fire officer whose roster allowance was withheld during the course of two pregnancies in 2010 and 2012.

The case was brought to the Court when the employer, Wicklow County Council, appealed an earlier decision by the Rights Commissioner.  In February 2013, the Rights Commisioner had recommended that the employee, Sinead  Sweeney, should receive payment in respect of the withheld allowance for the duration of her maternity leave in 2012. However, the recommendation did not include the allowance withheld during Sinead’s pregnancy while she was still at work, nor in respect of her pregnancy and maternity leave in 2010.

IMPACT official Stella Griffin, who represented Sinead, explained, “Part of Sinead’s duties in her role is participation in the senior fire officer roster*. When Sinead became pregnant in 2010 she was removed from the roster following a risk assessment. For her subsequent pregnancy in 2012 she was again removed from the roster. On both occasions the allowance for the roster was removed from her pay.”

Stella’s research for the case identified a number of instances in other local authorities where the allowance was paid to female SFOs during their pregnancies and subsequent maternity leave. “I checked to see if the payment of this allowance had been removed from any employees due to absences from work for other reasons, such as sick leave, and they had not been removed. I presented this as part of the IMPACT argument to both the Rights Commissioner and the Labour Court, supplementing our position that Sinead should not be disenfranchised in terms of her pay as a result of pregnancy” she said.

The Labour Court issued its decision on 27^th August 2013 which stated “the Court finds that standard practice in the Sector supports the Union’s claim for payment of the allowance in respect of both of claimant’s period of pregnancy during which she was stood down from the relevant roster”.

Published error

When Stella received notice of the appeal decision, she discovered an error under the heading Union’s Arguments 3.1. The error remains in the version of the recommendation published on the Labour Court’s website. The court has issued an amendment to IMPACT by email which states “This should have read, under point. 3.1 (Union's Arguments) that 'This allowance is paid during sick pay.'”

You can read the full recommendation HERE.

*Agreed between IMPACT and Local Government Staff Negotiations Board 1996

Management at St. Michael’s House has made a specific commitment to protecting the employment of staff in one of the country’s largest providers of community-based services to people with intellectual disabilities. The commitment was made in a joint statement yesterday (Thursday) following meetings with IMPACT, SIPTU and the INMO representing St Michael’s House staff.

Earlier this week, IMPACT had warned that an earlier plan to cut 40 staff breached the Haddington Road agreement and would devastate services. Management had written to staff saying it was seeking cuts including job losses, close of day, residential and respite services, Sunday closures, and reduced transport services.

Meetings this week gave trade unions an opportunity to raise concerns about the notice to staff. IMPACT members in St Micheal’s House are being represented by officials Catherine Keogh and Stella Griffin. All parties agreed to issue a joint statement to clarify those concerns.

The statement said “St. Michael’s House is fully committed to implementing the terms of the Haddington Road agreement. Discussions are ongoing in relation to the Proposals for Change document put forward by St. Michael's House management to the trade unions. These joint meetings are taking place in keeping with the spirit of the agreement” and emphasised “An objective contained in this document is a commitment by St. Michael’s House to protect the employment of St. Michael’s House staff”. 

An information meeting will take place next Thursday, 12th September, at 6.30pm in St Michael's House Ballymun.

The President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, led the State commemoration of the 1913 Dublin Lockout last Saturday at the James Larkin statue on O’Connell Street, Dublin. Thousands lined the streets in attendance at the commemoration, which took place 100 years to the day since the events of Bloody Sunday 1913.

President Higgins laid a wreath and led a minute’s silence in memory of the 80,000 workers and dependents affected by the Lockout. Wreaths were also laid by ICTU general secretary David Begg, who was joined by Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC, Bernadette Ségol, general secretary of the ETUC and Francis O Grady, general secretary of the TUC.

The event included readings from Strumpet City, scenes from The Risen People and an excerpt from ANU Productions’ Living the Lockout, which concluded its phenomenal sell out run of 378 performances at number 14 Henrietta Street the same day.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore joined ICTU president John Douglas and representatives of the Connolly and Larkin families at the event, while union and community activists dressed in period costume for a reenactment of the Bloody Sunday baton charge by the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP).

You can view our Flickr slideshow of photographs from the event HERE and check out NUJ general secretary Seamus Dooley’s account of the day HERE.

The latest CSO report on earnings shows that weekly earnings in the private sector increased by 1.0% in the year to the second quarter of 2013 compared with an increase of 1.3% in the public sector. The public sector figure includes earnings in the semi-state sector.

However, the CSO report cautions that the figures do not necessarily show that pay has increased. It points out that the lack of public sector recruitment has brought up the ‘average’ pay figure (total pay divided by number of staff) without pay actually increasing because there are relatively fewer staff in recruitment grades and at the bottom of pay scales; “Recruitment, particularly at lower levels, to these sectors would generally result in a depression to average earnings. The absence of recruitment (in the public sector) has the opposite effect” it said.

This fact was, somewhat surprisingly, acknowledged in the Irish Independent’s coverage of the CSO figures.

The report said that in the period 2009 to 2013 public sector earnings have fallen by -1.8%, and this compares with an increase of +0.8% in private sector average weekly earnings in the same period. The estimated number of persons employed in the public sector (again, the CSO figure includes the semi-state sector) showed a decrease of 1.4% over the year to the second quarter of 2013.

In its report, the CSO advises that all earnings are gross amounts before deductions for PRSI, tax and other levies, “This is particularly relevant to the public sector since March 2009 when the pension levy was introduced.”

More significantly, the figures do not yet reflect the effects of the recent Haddington Road agreement, which will have an effect on pay figures and hourly rates in future CSO publications.

The full CSO earnings report is available HERE.