Striking workers take legal action on payroll removal

STRIKING clerical workers in the Department of Agriculture are to take High Court action against the Government on Monday in a bid to have themselves put back on the payroll.

A total of 262 female staff have been taken off the payroll, following industrial action in five centres around the country during the past seven weeks.

However, they claimed their removal by the Department contravenes the Civil Service Regulations Act 1956.

“Under Section 16 of the Act, they can be removed for non-attendance at work, but our members were not absent,” claimed Kevin Gaughran, assistant general secretary of the Civil Public Services Union (CPSU).

Monday’s action against both the Departments of Agriculture and Finance is being brought by Marie Fuller and 13 other CPSU members at the former’s offices in Clonakilty, Co Cork.

The issue was debated at the Union’s conference in the Brandon Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry, yesterday, at which Mr Gaughran said there was no way the strikers would return to work until the dispute was settled.

“There are two main issues: promotions and respect. It is not acceptable that someone who started out as a clerical officer should still be a clerical officer 40 years later,” he said.

Mr Gaughran also said he hoped a scheduled meeting with the Department on Tuesday would mark the beginning of the end of the dispute.

Delegates unanimously passed a motion calling on the union not to allow the Department to introduce other issues as part of a final settlement.

Meanwhile, all the strikers are to benefit from the €34 million package agreed between the CPSU and the Dept of Finance in an equality test case.