Government faces calls to scrap decentralisation

THE Government’s plan for decentralisation came under renewed attack yesterday as delegates at IMPACT’s biennial conference called on the plan to be scrapped.

The latest volley of criticism came as Tánaiste Mary Harney yesterday conceded for the first time that there were difficulties in transferring qualified workers in State agencies such as FÁS. In a significant departure from previous Government statements, Ms Harney said staff in such agencies could not simply transfer to other departments or organisations if they did not want to decentralise.

In a keynote speech, IMPACT’s chief decentralisation expert Louise O’Donnell highlighted areas of difficulty with the Government’s proposal.

IMPACT estimates that over 875 of its specialist members will not move and the cost of replacing them could be as much as €65m every year.

“How are you going to replace 50 OPW architects who need a degree — a minimum of five years — and specialist IT experience?” asked Ms O’Donnell. “How are you going to replace the aeronautical officers, who certify the airworthiness of civil aircraft, and are mostly qualified pilots with additional engineering degrees?” she asked.

In a policy document published this month, IMPACT called for agencies to be removed from decentralisation if it would not be cost effective for them to move. The union has also called for the timetable to be extended and for e-working to ease relocation problems.

However, many delegates yesterday rejected the plan completely, calling it unfair, uneconomic, unworkable and potentially damaging to public services delivery.

Joan O’Rourke from the agricultural lab branch in Cork told delegates that 90% of her colleagues did not want to move.

To replace skilled staff with inexperienced newcomers was tantamount to replacing a member of the Munster team with Ryan Tubridy, she said.

Cork’s Gerry Heskin from IMPACT’s agriculture number one branch said decentralisation in other nations had taken up to 30 years.

Willie Cummins of the architectural branch attacked Tom Parlon, the Progressive Democrat junior minister charged with implementing decentralisation.

“I’ve spoken to many a plank in my day but this was the thickest plank I have ever had to deal with,” he said to widespread applause.

Dave McMyler of the marine branch described decentralisation as a cynical vote-buying attempt.

“Civil and public servants don’t exist to put political parties back into Government,” he said.