160 perks for local authorities to be axed

More than 160 allowances for existing local authority workers are set to be cut after the Department of the Environment said it was surprised at having discovered hundreds of unknown perks for staff.

The move could save the department up to €44m, but is expected to be challenged by unions and staff.

Department secretary general Geraldine Tallon said the allowances would be “phased out” as trade union chiefs yesterday said they would fight efforts to eliminate perks across sectors.

The department has identified 14 national and 203 local allowances, which until now did not form part of the Government’s 1,100 allowances under review.

Ms Tallon indicated that no business case for 161 of the local allowances for existing workers was being argued, and management would open talks on their “elimination” with staff.

“The time is ripe, the crisis is there, and we do need to rationalise the system,” Ms Tallon told the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee.

She said she was “quite surprised” that so many different allowances existed in the local sector. Many of the 161 allowances were for small amounts and not all local authorities used them, TDs were told.

Allowances in Westmeath make up 1.5% of pay, while they account for 4.8% in Wexford.

Local authority managers have been told to open talks with staff about eliminating allowances where the department has not sent forward a business case. “Our objective here is to see what can be phased out,” said Ms Tallon.

The PAC yesterday heard cases about a number of the local authority allowances which the Department of the Environment has made a business case to keep.

These amount to 56 and include a kennelling allowance, where dog wardens keep stray dogs in their house overnight and get paid €7.50 a day.

Cases were also made for the librarian cleaning allowance (€13 a week), the keyholder’s allowance (€5.77 a week), and a transport allowance for health staff (€16 per week).

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions told the PAC that unions had not been consulted about the review and cuts of allowances.

Talks were just beginning with management, TDs heard.

ICTU vice-president Patricia King said many of the proposed allowance cuts were “easy pickings” targeting the low paid.

She accused the Government of sending out a “diktat” on the allowances review. Ms King said proposed cuts to staff claims — a “smash and grab” — would be fought.

“I’m saying directly the well is dry,” she added.

INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan told TDs that planned allowance cuts for new teachers were unfair and would create difficulties in schools.

PAC chairman John McGuinness said he was “shocked” that unions were initially not consulted by departments on the allowances review. He said the Government’s review was “flawed” as many related to the low paid.