College lecturers seek legal advice on pay cuts

The union representing university teachers is to seek legal advice to establish whether legislation imposing pay cuts on public servants is constitutional.

The Irish Federation of University Teachers is to commission a senior counsel to examine the legislation which would cut the pay of public servants who do not sign up to the terms of the Haddington Road agreement.

“We believe there are constitutional implications for the legislation because to our knowledge it is the first time that the treatment of employees, including the salary, will be dictated by their membership or non-membership of a trade union as opposed to the work they do or grade they hold,” said Mike Jennings, IFUT general secretary.

“If you read section 7 of the legislation which says something will be applied by law if it is not signed up to, it seems to me to be quite clear; for instance, it will assume that anyone who is not represented by a trade union will be treated in the same way as if they were represented by a trade union which had voted no.”

This is not the first time public service representatives have sought legal advice on cuts imposed by the Government through legislation. In 2009, when pay cuts and the pension levy were introduced, unions looked at the legal implications but no legal impediment was found.

Public servants who are not affiliated to a union, or who are members of unions which reject the agreement will not have the protections which the agreement gives.

The IFUT executive are to hold a special consultative conference on Jun 8 to at decide whether to recommend acceptance or rejection to its members.

Mr Jennings said he believes the deal is a “dreadful piece of work and a dreadful agreement”.

Meanwhile, the executives of two of the unions who lead the opposition to the proposals, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Civil Public and Services Union, meet today to consider them.