Council faces industrial action over ‘acting-up’ pay

One of the country’s busiest local authorities is facing industrial action, including the possibility of strikes, by its staff over a decision to remove "acting-up" pay from a number of workers.

Sat, 03 May, 2014 - 01:00

Stephen Rogers

According to Impact trade union which represents the staff, South Dublin County Council wants to “regularise” a number of long-term positions which have been filled by staff who have been “acting up”.

As well as losing the position, the staff also lose the allowance which comes with operating above their grade.

The union says the council has 163 staff in “acting up” roles, but a workforce plan put forward by management didn’t offer any detail on how many of these would be affected other than those at grade 8 level, of which there are nine.

The union said it has sought a complete picture on the workforce plan, but management had refused to share the information. It has already begun a ballot of its members for action, up to and including strikes.

For its part, South Dublin County Council said the local government sector was committed to workforce planning at the national level and local authorities across the country were now implementing that.

“This commitment to workforce planning was reinforced in the Haddington Road Agreement which also stipulated that acting arrangements would be examined in parallel,” a spokeswoman said. “It is the position throughout the sector that acting positions will only be considered where all options around reorganisation and reallocation of work have been fully exhausted. Where requirements for continuous acting prevail, discussions are to take place with unions and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government regarding the filling of permanent vacancies.”

The spokeswoman said the council was in ongoing discussions with unions — the two sides are to meet in arbitration at the Labour Relations Commission next week. She said it would not be appropriate for the council to comment any further, pending the outcome of that process.