FÁS action ‘could derail decentralisation’

IMPENDING industrial action by employees of the state agency FÁS over “promotional blackmail” could derail the Government’s controversial decentralisation programme, union sources said last night.

SIPTU members at FÁS yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favour of action over plans to transfer FÁS to Birr in Co Offaly.

Management at FÁS have made promotion conditional on agreement to relocate to Birr. It said it was following stated Government policy in making this a condition. SIPTU yesterday said it went against the Governments stated commitment of voluntary relocation.

Some 87% of the SIPTU members based in Dublin supported the action. The union’s national executive council will meet shortly to decide on sanctioning the dispute. Industrial action will initially involve work stoppages, but may escalate.

SIPTU’s Greg Ennis said: “It’s a condition of promotion that members must agree to move; it is decentralisation by promotional blackmail.”

Unions have argued that the status of those who chose to remain in Dublin remains unknown. They suspect that they will be denied any opportunity of promotion.

The Irish Examiner understands that this issue has become a flashpoint in decentralisation negotiations in at least half a dozen State agencies, including the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), Enterprise Ireland, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and the National Road Authorities.

Last autumn, the HSA described growing union militancy over promotion and warned of the possibility of industrial action.

Yesterday, the head of human resources at FÁS, Oliver Egan, said that what evolves from the dispute would set a template for all future Government decisions on decentralisation.

He said FÁS was implementing clear Government policy and had no latitude in the matter.

The Department of Finance did not confirm this yesterday but strongly hinted it was the case.

“Promotions policy, of course, must take account of the reality of decentralisation,” said the Department in a statement.

It also stated that those who remained in Dublin would be assured of a job with “no less favourable terms and conditions”. No mention was made of promotion opportunities.

The Labour Court recently recommended that the dispute between FÁS and SIPTU over decentralisation be referred back to the central implementation group for the process.

Take-up has been low in State agencies. Only six of 400 employees at FÁS headquarters applied for transfer in the first round of offers.