Action to target government parties

THE Government parties are to be specifically targeted in Monday’s escalation of public service industrial action against the budget.

At a national level, IMPACT trade union has instructed members not to process political representations from government party TDs or senators.

“This is to include TDs elected to the Dáil and Senate from Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and former Progressive Democrats who supported the Government’s attack on public servants pay,” said IMPACT general secretary Peter McLoone in a letter to branch secretaries.

In that regard they will be divergent from the members of the two specifically civil service unions, the Civil Public and Services Union and Public Service Executive union who have not discriminated between political parties in their action in recent weeks.

At a local level, IMPACT’s intention is to ensure that the Fianna Fáil and Green councillors in each local authority will not be given administrative support.

To minimise disruption to the public, people’s queries in areas such as planning would be answered directly by the staff, they said.

The leader of Fianna Fáil on

Cork county council, Cllr Alan Coleman said members of his party wouldn’t be able to make representations on behalf of their constituents over planning issues and housing.

“They [the union] haven’t the balls to take on the Government who are their employer, so they’re attempting to disenfranchise the public instead,” he said.

Monday’s escalation, which will also see health service workers refusing to answer phones on a rotational basis, is likely to be followed on March 8 by approval from the public service committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for limited work stoppages across the public sector.