CPSU to vote on passport office recruitment today

Members of the Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU) are to vote today on the recruitment of additional temporary staff at the passport office.

Talks had been ongoing with the Department of Foreign Affairs at the Labour Relations Commission in a bid to resolve the row.

Last week, the CPSU and Department of Foreign Affairs were invited by Kieran Mulvey at the Labour relations commission into talks to try and resolve the dispute.

Around 61,000 people are now waiting for their passport applications to be processed, with the average time rising from 10 to 25 working days.

On Friday, a deal was reached which will see 50 temporary clerical officers recruited to meet demand during the peak summer months.

This had previously been opposed by the CPSU, saying that the Department would just fill permanent positions instead.

However, both parties also reached an agreement on the issue of people with immediate travel needs. These will be prioritised if the agreement is accepted by the union.

Members will now vote on the agreement and an outcome will be known later today.