Talks to resume on how to address passport backlog

DISCUSSIONS at the Labour Relations Commission on how to address the 61,000-backlog in passport applications will resume this morning after almost 10 hours of negotiations failed to break the deadlock last night.

The Civil, Public and Services Union (CPSU) which represents workers at the passport offices has accused management of refusing to give priority to those who need their new passports for immediate travel.

It claims frontline staff have been forced by their managers to deal with customers on a “first-come-first-serve” basis irrespective of their urgency.

The union also says the Department of Foreign Affairs which runs the passport offices is refusing to appoint the full-time staff needed to clear the backlog.

However, the department says the only option is for 50 temporary staff to be recruited. It says it cannot appoint full-time staff due to the moratorium on public service recruitment.

The backlog has built up over the last five months due to the work-to-rule by members of the CPSU in protest at pay cuts which its members have had to endure.

As a result the processing of passports, which used to take 10 days, is now taking 25 days.

Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey who is chairing the talks between the two sides said some progress had been made during the 10 hours of negotiations yesterday, but he said there were still outstanding issues which needed to be addressed when the sides get back around the table at 11am today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said he is confident the talks will yield an agreement on arrangements and staff issues with the CPSU and that normal service will then resume.

“In particular, I want to resume quickly the service whereby any person about to travel can obtain a passport enabling them to do so,” he said.

“I believe this desire is shared by management and staff in the passport service and by the leadership and membership of the CPSU.”