Public sector under pressure to end shopping half-days

PUBLIC service managers have been asked to put an end to staff taking a traditional festive shopping half-day after the practice came in for strong criticism.

Union sources said that in a number of government departments and other state agencies managers have been sent ‘notes’ telling them the practice must now be curtailed.

The move follows the head of the Croke Park Agreement Implementation Body, PJ Fitzpatrick, stating he was “surprised” by the practice which had not been mentioned in departmental reform action plans recently presented to him. He added that it was unusual that such a practice could still exist, given staff’s increased flexibility in working patterns and shop opening hours being less curtailed.

The Christmas shopping half-day came under the spotlight this week after a public servant in the Patents Office in Kilkenny circulated an email calling on workers not to avail of their entitlement to the half-day’s Christmas shopping leave due the current economic climate and how it might be perceived. Civil Service Christmas half-days have been the subject of internet discussion each December since 2008, following the onset of the economic collapse, with a long-running discussion on the practice on the site, boards.ie.

Yesterday, Pat Kenny also highlighted the time off on his RTÉ morning radio show and this is believed to have provoked immediate action by some departments to end the practice.

The Department of Finance had not costed what productivity was lost due to the practice and it was not seen as a subject of discussion at the Croke Park implementation talks occurring between union and public service management.

Low-paid public servants union, the CPSU, said they had never had any role in seeking Christmas shopping time off for members.

CPSU deputy general secretary Eoin Ronayne said: “This was not a widespread practice and was totally discretionary to managers, it is something that would have happened in the past in other sectors as well. It has a history going back to when shops were not open late.”

One civil servant said the practice of having approximately three hours off during December to go Christmas shopping was well established in his department. “It’s probably something that will have to go now. However, I previously worked for a private company and we got fairly substantial Christmas bonuses. They’re going now as well. It’s all a case of taking from the little man and look the other way politics, while those that got extravagant wages during the Celtic Tiger boom seek to escape without paying their fair share for the economic mess they had most to do in creating.”

Other time off allowances, such as cheque cashing hours and “privilege days” are being discussed at the Croke Park talks.