Council staff in dispute over ‘acting payments’
According to Impact trade union, which represents the workers, the council has taken the payments from 13 staff so far and announced plans to do the same to a further 150 employees.
It says the staff concerned have been carrying out extra work with additional responsibilities — some of them for as long as 12 years — for which they have been getting an extra ‘acting’ payment.
“The council now says they must continue to do this work, but without the extra payment,” it said. “During the talks that produced the Haddington Road agreement, Impact won agreement on a process to regularise long-term acting positions following the completion of a workforce plan in each local authority. Local talks on the issue broke down in South Dublin after management told Impact it intended to cut pay rather than discuss the regularisation of acting positions.”
Impact official Angela Kirk said management was in breach of the Haddington Road agreement and was effectively extending pay cuts to staff below the €65,000 earnings threshold set out in the deal.
“Council management has breached the Haddington Road agreement, which is delivering huge savings and increased working time in South Dublin and other local authorities. Management has refused to deal with the situation through negotiations. Instead it announced its intention to cut pay just days before a Labour Relations Commission hearing, which was meant to deal with the matter,” she said.
That LRC hearing failed to produce a resolution and the matter has been forwarded to the implementation body which has overseen the Haddington Road agreement.
The industrial action being taken by the workers includes a refusal to staff public counters between 12.30pm and 2.30pm, the withdrawal of co-operation with evening meetings, an overtime ban, and a refusal to carry out duties at a higher grade.
Impact has warned that strike action is possible if no resolution can be found.
