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Local Government and

Local Services DivisionReport 2017-2019

PRODUCED BYFórsa Communications UnitNerney’s Court, Dublin, D01 R2C5.Ph: 01-817-1500

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COVER PHOTOLuke and Mark McLoughlin picturedat the Fórsa rally in Roscommon townlast June, organised in protest atmanagement's refusal to implementa flexi leave program in the council. Photo: Reg Gordon.

DIVISIONAL EXECUTIVEFront (L-R): Julie Flood, Sean Reid – Cathaoirleach, Linda Casey, Peter Nolan – Head of Division.Back (L-R): Tom Browne – 3rd rep, Gerry O’Quigley – leas cathaoirleach, Ann Marie Maher, Ray Kennedy,

Pat Considine, Michael Whyms, Catherine White, Susan Gherin, Vincent Savage, Padraig McGivney, Seamus Smith.

Missing from photo: Declan Connolly and Orla Murrin.

Report 2017-2019

ORGANISATION ....................................................4

Creation of Fórsa................................................4

Divisional Executive Committee........................4

Divisional Council ..............................................5

Staffing ..............................................................5

Michael McCabe and Dympna Reilly ................5

Local Authority National Council ......................5

Local Authority National PartnershipAdvisory Group ..................................................5

Local government campaign..............................5

Housing ..............................................................6

PAY ............................................................................7

Public service pay restoration ..........................7

Additional superannuation contribution............8

New entrants ......................................................9

Recruitment and retention issues ....................9

Gender pay gap ................................................10

Allowances ......................................................10

Overtime ..........................................................10

Travel and subsistence ....................................10

PENSIONS ............................................................11

Public service retirement age..........................11

Public service final salary schemes ................11

Single career average scheme ........................11

Treatment of parental leave ............................12

Survivor pensions for same sex couples ........12

Auto-enrolment ................................................12

Eligibility for State pension ............................13

Tax relief on pension contributions ................13

WORKING CONDITIONS ..................................14

Working time ....................................................14

Parental leave ..................................................14

Sick leave..........................................................15

Outsourcing, agency staffing andrelated issues ..................................................15

Equality ............................................................15

Health and safety ............................................16

Zero-hour contracts ........................................16

Bogus self-employment ..................................16

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ................................17

Local government staffing ..............................17

Flexitime: Roscommon County Council ..........17

Online testing ..................................................17

Common recruitment pool ..............................17

Job evaluation ..................................................18

Outsourcing......................................................18

Water services..................................................18

Libraries............................................................20

Fire services ....................................................20

Technicians ......................................................20

Environmental technicians/scientists ............20

Veterinary services ..........................................20

Arts officers ....................................................21

Archivists..........................................................21

Museum curators ............................................21

Civil defence officers ......................................21

Social workers and housing welfare officers..21

APPENDICES ......................................................22

Appendix one: Salary scales ..........................23

Appendix two: ICTU letter regardingIrish water services..........................................26

Contents

Report 2017-2019

Divisional CouncilThe Local Government and Local ServicesDivisional Council comprises one delegate fromeach branch that has members in the division.The Council met quarterly throughout the periodunder review.

StaffingHead of Division Peter Nolan has responsibilityfor supporting the activities of the DivisionalExecutive Committee. Linda Casey is Head ofAdministration in the division.

Michael McCabe and DympnaReillyIt was with the deepest regret that the divisionlearned the news of the deaths of MichaelMcCabe, former Cathaoirleach and formerChairperson of the Louth branch, and DympnaReilly of the union’s Dun Laoghaire Rathdownbranch and national libraries vocational group.Both Michael and Dympna served theirmembers with distinction and integrity. Thedivision extends condolances to their friendsand families, and to all the friends and familieswho have suffered bereavements during theperiod.

Local Authority National CouncilThe Local Authority National Council (LANC)processes claims on behalf of unions andemployers in the sector. The council is chairedby Damien Cannon of the Workplace RelationsCommission (WRC). Fórsa Head of DivisionPeter Nolan is staff side secretary for thecouncil.

Local Authority NationalPartnership Advisory GroupDiscussions have taken place with the LANC inrelation to the future of LANPAG. While unionsand management have agreed to arationalisation of its nature and size, Fórsavigorously opposed attempts by management toeliminate the national group that oversees the

process. The body is the agreed forum for theprovision of information and consultation underthe terms of the Employees (Provision ofInformation and Consultation) Act 2006. TheLocal Government Management Agency (LGMA)ultimately agreed to maintain a national forum.

Local government campaignEarly in 2019, Fórsa and other unions, whichtogether represent over 30,000 local councilworkers, launched a campaign for substantiallyincreased revenue and powers for localauthorities. The union published research thatshows Irish councils have less autonomy fromcentral government than their counterparts in39 European countries.

The ‘More Power To You’ campaign also calls forlegislative changes to facilitate directly-electedmayors and restore and expand town councils,which were abolished in 2014. DemocracyWorks If You Let It by Dr Mary Murphy ofMaynooth University, found that only 8% ofIrish public spending occurs at local governmentlevel, compared to an EU23 average of over23%, and that a quarter of the Irish spend is notfully under local authority control. It also foundthat, with just one city or county council forevery 148,500 people, Ireland has far fewerlocal municipalities than similar-sized Europeancountries. The study says Irish local authoritiesperform fewer functions than municipalitiesacross Europe, with their roles largely confinedto physical infrastructure, and environmentaland recreational services. The research sayslocal democracy has been eroded by:

n A decade of austerity, which cut budgetsand slashed council staffing by a quarter

n The centralisation of services like water,driving licences and higher educationgrants

n The privatisation of services like refusecollection and housing, and

n Excessive executive direction and newmanagement processes that haveincreased bureaucratic powers at theexpense of political representatives.

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Creation of FórsaFórsa came into being on 2nd January 2018through an amalgamation of the Civil, Public andServices Union (CPSU), the Irish Municipal,Public And Civil Trade Union (IMPACT), and thePublic Service Executive Union (PSEU). The newunion represents over 80,000 members acrossthe public services, commercial and non-commercial semi-state organisations, thecommunity and voluntary sector, and privatecompanies in aviation, telecommunications andelsewhere. Fórsa is the second largest union inthe country, and by far the strongest and mostinfluential trade union voice in the public serviceand semi-state sector.

Members gave the amalgamation, which wasthe result of over two years’ work andconsultation, a strong endorsement in ballotresults announced in November 2017. PublicService Executive Union (PSEU) members voted70% in favour of the move, while those of theCivil, Public and Services Union (CPSU) gave anendorsement of 76%. IMPACT members whovoted backed the merger by a margin of 86% to14%. A fuller report on the amalgamation waspublished in an update to the union’s firstnational conference, which took place in May2018.

Divisional Executive CommitteeThe following people were elected to the LocalGovernment and Local Services DivisionalExecutive Committee (DEC) for the period2017-2019:

Tom Browne (Galway branch, also elected thirddivisional representative to the union’s NationalExecutive Committee), Declan Connolly (CorkBranch), Pat Considine (Clare Branch), JulieFlood (Dublin City Branch), Ray Kennedy (OffalyBranch), Padraig McGivney (Cavan Branch), AnnMarie Maher (Laois Branch), Orla Murrin (SligoBranch), Gerry O’Quigley (Dun LaoghaireRathdown Branch, also elected Leas-Cathaoirleach), Sean Reid (Donegal Branch, alsoelected Cathaoirleach), Vincent Savage(Tipperary Branch), Susan Sherin (LimerickBranch), Seamus Smith (Kerry Branch),Catherine White (South Dublin Branch) andMichael Whyms (Fingal Branch).

Arising from the terms of the Fórsa instrumentof amalgamation, Paul O’Halloran and MichaelBarry joined the Divisional Executive Committeein May 2018.

Kevin O’Malley was elected to the position ofFórsa honorary treasurer at the new union’sinaugural conference in May 2018.

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Organisation

Local Government and Local Services Division

Pay

Report 2017-2019

Public service pay restorationPay and pension levy adjustments under the2015 Lansdowne Road agreement ensuredthat, by April 2017, virtually all public servantshad experienced some pay restoration, whilethose earning below €28,000 had gained fullrestoration of the pay and pension levy-relatedcuts. A final payment under the deal, which wasworth €38.33 a fortnight before tax, wasbrought forward from September 2017 to April2017 following negotiations between publicservice unions and the Department of PublicExpenditure and Reform (DPER), which tookplace between December 2016 and January2017.

In May 2016, the Government also bowed tounion demands for early talks on a successor tothe HRA, which was originally meant to expire inSeptember 2018. Negotiations took place inMay and June 2017 after the publication of thefirst report of the Public Service PayCommission (PSPC), which was establishedunder the Programme for Government inOctober 2016.

The PSPC report addressed the process ofunwinding the Financial Emergency Measures inthe Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation, whichintroduced and underpinned the public servicepay cuts and pension levy. The PSPC alsoconsidered factors that are usually taken intoaccount in public service pay determinationincluding recruitment and retention issues,international comparisons of public service payand living costs, the value of public servicepensions, and security of tenure relative to theprivate sector. The ICTU Public ServicesCommittee (PSC), which represents the vastmajority of the country’s public service unions,made two written submissions to theCommission, and PSC officers met with theCommission on a number of occasions.

The Commission made its report to the Ministerfor Public Expenditure and Reform in May2017. Talks on a new public service payagreement started later that month andconcluded in June 2017. The outcome was thePublic Service Stability Agreement (PSSA),which was strongly backed by members of thethree unions that later amalgamated to formFórsa, along with unions representing a largemajority of public service workers. The ICTUPublic Services Committee backed the deal by amargin of over 80% in an aggregate ballot inSeptember 2017.

The PSSA, which came into force in January2018, now governs pay and related matters forvirtually all public servants, as well as staff innon-commercial semi-state organisations and‘section 38’ agencies where pay scales followthe public service. By the time it expires, on31st December 2020, over 90% of publicservants will earn as much as, or more than,they did when pay cuts were introduced duringthe crisis.


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The campaign is seeking commitments frompolitical parties, and candidates in the upcomingcouncil elections, on a range of localgovernment reforms covering waste, water,housing, and energy services. These include:

n Legislative changes to facilitate directly-elected mayors

n The return and expansion of the towncouncil system, which was abolished in2014

n Increased revenue and funding powers,with parallel systems of accountabilityand transparency, to move the percentageof local authority-managed publicspending towards the European average

n An immediate end to the outsourcing ofcouncil housing maintenance and amedium-term shift to a new localauthority-led public housing model

n Stronger regulation of the waste sector toensure that every household has accessto an affordable waste disposal service,as a precursor to the reintroduction ofimproved public provision

n A constitutional referendum on the rightto water, which should ensure that waterand waste water services remain in publicownership and control, and

n Investment in local authorityenvironmental and sustainable energyinfrastructure and staff, to facilitate themaximum use of the SEAI ‘Better Energy’programme.

HousingThe union has also been lobbying to ensure thatlocal authorities play an immediate and directrole in the construction of social housing totackle the housing and homelessness crisis. Theunion has supported the ‘Raise the Roof’campaign, which includes ICTU, other unions,and housing charities and advocacy groups. Thecampaign has secured the backing of politicalparties in the Oireachtas.

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Dr Mary Murphy delivering the findings of her research paper,Democracy Works If You Let It, at the launch of Fórsa's joint #MorePowerToYou campaign.

Report 2017-2019

only two-thirds of the additional contributionrate. This figure will fall to one-third fromJanuary 2020, reflecting the fact that thebenefits of the single scheme are different fromthose in the older scheme. And, with effect fromJanuary 2019, the ‘additional superannuationcontribution’ is no longer payable on non-pensionable elements of incomes, includingnon-pensionable overtime payments.

New entrantsThe term ‘new entrants’ refers to people whostarted work in the public service, andorganisations linked to it for pay purposes, after2011 when inferior pay scales for new staffwere imposed by the Government withoutagreement.

Although those inferior scales, which wereworth 10% less at every point of each scale,were abolished at unions’ insistence under the2013 Haddington Road agreement, newentrants continued to have longer pay scalesthan their longer-serving colleagues, with twolower pay points at the beginning of each scale.In some grades, allowances that made up asignificant part of overall income were alsoabolished for new entrants.

The PSSA established a process, involving thePublic Service Pay Commission (PSPC), toaddress this problem. Following detaileddiscussions and inputs from Fórsa and otherunions, this resulted in a solution of the payscale issue, though not the allowances issue, in2018. This was achieved at least two yearsearlier than the PSSA originally provided for.

Under these measures, new entrants will skiptwo points – the fourth and the eighth – on eachpay scale. Fórsa welcomed this outcomebecause it ensures a fair outcome for newentrants regardless of their length of service.Fuller details of the outcome are available on theunion’s website.

Recruitment and retention issuesThe Public Service Pay Commission’s (PSPC)original 2017 report, which preceded the talksthat led to the PSSA, identified recruitment andretention issues that had been raised by unionsin respect of specific grades. Under theagreement, unions were able to make furthersubmissions to the PSPC in respect of thesegrades. The Commission was tasked withanalysing the causes of the problems in eacharea, and recommending options to deal withthem, by the end of 2018. However, it was notempowered to recommend increases in payscales.

Fórsa fought for, and welcomed, this provision inthe agreement and said all professions andgrades must be treated equally by theGovernment in its response to the PayCommission’s findings.

The Government approved the terms ofreference for the PSPC’s examination in October2017, after which the PSPC invitedsubmissions from unions representing gradesidentified in its original report. The union madesubmissions for its grades cited in the reportlate in 2017.


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The agreement saw pay increase by 1% on 1stJanuary 2018, and by another 1% on 1stOctober 2018. Further income boosts wereimplemented on 1st January 2019, with a 1%pay increase for those earning less than€30,000 a year. Those who earn morebenefited instead from an increase in the‘additional superannuation contribution,’ whichreplaced the pension levy as part of theagreement. Further improvements are due on1st September 2019, 1st January 2020, and1st October 2020 (see table). Pay scales wereupdated on the Fórsa website to reflect the 1stJanuary 2019 and earlier adjustments.

As this report was being finalised, Fórsa andother unions were studying the implications of aFebruary 2019 Labour Court recommendationregarding nurses' pay and grading, and awaitingthe outcome of a related contract negotiationand ballot. At its February 2019 meeting,Fórsa’s National Executive Committee (NEC)noted that, while ministers had expressed theview that the Labour Court recommendationwas in line with the PSSA, Fórsa officials hadbeen assured of continued engagementbetween the Department of Public Expenditureand Reform and the ICTU Public ServicesCommittee on the broader implications of theoutcome. The NEC said this engagement mustaddress any changes in the assumptionsunderlying the agreement, and noted thatclause 8.4.2 of the PSSA allows for this. Theexecutive also took the view that ongoingengagement between unions and DPER must

continue to discuss the possibility of a generalpay review mechanism to allow a fullexamination of the adequacy of current payarrangements, and to resolve ongoingdifficulties with the smooth operation of parts ofthe agreement.

The union had already told the Government thatother grades will expect similar opportunities tohave their pay reviewed during the lifetime ofthe agreement. Throughout 2018 and early2019, Fórsa reiterated its view that all publicservants, and their unions, must be treatedequally under the Public Service StabilityAgreement (PSSA).

Additional superannuationcontributionIncomes were also improved in January 2019 byan increase in the threshold for payment of the‘additional superannuation contribution,’ whichreplaced the pension levy under the PSSA. Afurther increase in the threshold is due inJanuary 2020. Different arrangements apply tomembers of fast accrual schemes, mainlycertain uniformed grades.

The agreement also saw the resolution of twooutstanding ‘additional superannuationcontribution’ anomalies. From January 2019,staff who joined the public service after January2013, and who are in the single public servicepension scheme introduced at that time, pay

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n 1st January 2018: 1% pay adjustment

n 1st October 2018: 1% pay adjustment

n 1st January 2019: Additional superannuationcontribution threshold up from €28,750 to €32,000(worth €325 a year). 1% pay increase for those whodon’t benefit (ie, those earning less than €30,000 ayear)

n 1st September 2019: 1.75% pay adjustment

n 1st January 2020: Additional superannuationcontribution threshold increased to €34,500 (worth€250 a year). 0.5% pay increase for those who don’tbenefit (ie, those earning less than €32,000 a year)

n 1st October 2020: 2% pay adjustment

n 31st December 2020: Agreement concludes.

Summaryof incomeadjustments

Great support from all around the countryfor striking workers in Roscommon County Council.

Pensions

Report 2017-2019

Public service retirement age The age of eligibility for the State pension wasincreased to 66 in 2014. Because of this, thecompulsory public service retirement age of 65meant that many public servants were forced toretire before they could draw a significant partof their retirement income. The Public ServiceStability Agreement (PSSA) enabled Fórsa toaddress this issue in discussions with theDepartment of Public Expenditure and Reform(DPER).

In 2018, the Government bowed to unionpressure and agreed to legislate to give publicservants the option to remain in employment upto age 70 if they chose. Pending the enactmentof legislation, limited interim arrangements,which allowed the re-hiring of public servantswho wanted to stay in work until they wereeligible for the State pension, were put in place.But those who exercised this option were placedon the first point of the non-pensionable payscale, and were not able to make furtherpension contributions.

The legislation that increased the compulsoryretirement date to age 70 was passed into lawover Christmas 2018. It also required thefinance minister to outline potential remedies,within three months, for public servants whohad been forced to retire between 6thDecember 2017 and the commencement of thenew law. Fórsa had argued that these workersshould be given the option to extend their 12-month retention arrangement up until age 70,and get increments due to them during thisperiod, but the Government refused to do this.

Public servants recruited after 1st April 2004,but before January 2013, were not covered bythe new legislation because they already eitherhave no compulsory retirement age or the abilityto retire up to age 70.

Public service final salaryschemesFor the duration of the Public Service StabilityAgreement (PSSA), public service pensions haveessentially returned to the pay-linked method ofadjustment, which was in place until the onset ofthe financial emergency. This means that basicPSSA pay increases will be passed on to thosewho retire on or after 1st March 2012 in nearlyall cases. The pay increases will be passed on topre-March 2012 retirees if the pay level onwhich their pension is based does not exceedthe existing pay level of serving staff in thesame grade and pay scale point. Fórsa will seekthe continuation of this arrangement in anynegotiations on a successor to the PSSA.

Changes to the pension levy (now called the‘additional superannuation contribution’)introduced under the PSSA saw pensions worthup to €34,132 a year exempted entirely fromthe additional contribution from 1st January2018. The exemption threshold was increasedto €39,000 in January 2019, and be furtherincreased to €54,000 in January 2020.

Single career average schemeStaff who joined the public service after January2013 are members of the single public servicepension scheme, which gives acceleratedaccrual of benefits on earnings up to 3.74 timesthe contributory state pension. This takes theform of 0.58% of gross pensionableremuneration up to this threshold without anyoffset for integration with the social welfaresystem. From the end of March 2019, earningsup to €48,457 will benefit from the formula.


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As this report went to print, the Commission hadcompleted its examination of nursing, medicalconsultant, and some military grades. But itswork on Fórsa grades had not begun. InNovember 2018, the union called on the PSPCto press on with examinations of recruitmentand retention difficulties in the other areas citedin its 2017 report.

Gender pay gapOver the last two years, Fórsa has been at theforefront of the trade union campaign forlegislation on gender pay gap reporting toencourage employers into tangible action tobridge the gap, which currently stands at anaverage of around 14% in Ireland. In November2018 the union was part of an Irish Congress ofTrade Unions (ICTU) delegation that gaveevidence to the Joint Oireachtas Committee forJustice and Equality, which was examining thegeneral scheme of the Gender Pay GapInformation Bill. The Bill would establishmandatory reporting by employers on thegender pay gap in their organisations. Themeasure would first be applied in firms with 250or more employees, but that threshold woulddrop to 50-plus over time. The legislation wouldalso require reporting on differences in bonuspay, part-time pay and the pay of men andwomen on temporary contracts.

In June 2018, Fórsa criticised the Governmentfor publishing its own Bill on the issue, ratherthan amending an existing opposition Bill thatwas already well advanced. The union said themove would delay the introduction of pay gapreporting. A December 2018 report by theEconomic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)found that the introduction of the statutoryminimum wage had reduced the gender pay gapfor lower-paid workers in Ireland, but had notimpacted on the wage gap at higher salarylevels. This was because women are more likelythan men to work in low paid jobs.

The PSSA commits management in each sectorof the public service to monitor progress ongender balance in career progression.

AllowancesThe legislation that gave effect to the PSSAprovides for the restoration of an earlier 5% cutin allowances from October 2020.

OvertimeWith effect from January 2019, the PSSAremoved ‘additional superannuationcontributions’ on non-pensionable elements ofpublic service incomes, including non-pensionable overtime payments.

Travel andsubsistenceThe standard overnight rateof civil service expenses wasincreased to €147, in linewith inflation, followingagreement at Civil ServiceGeneral Council in November2018. There were nochanges in motor travel orforeign subsistence rates. Anofficial circular setting outrevised subsistenceallowances was issued tocivil service departmentsand the wider public serviceis to follow suit as usual.

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Speakers and panellists at Fórsa's2019 'INSPIRE' training for women ac-tivists.

Report 2017-2019

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)welcomed the proposals in principle, but saidthey should be strengthened significantly.Unions want older workers to be included in thescheme which, as it currently stands, would onlyinclude workers aged between 23 and 60 whoearn more than €20,000 a year. Congresswants this expanded to 16-60-plus with noincome threshold. Congress also wantscontributions to be collected by the RevenueCommissioners in the same way as socialinsurance, and for the State contribution to bevalued at €1 for every €2.50 a worker saves,with an employer contribution of 7% on allearnings. It also wants the employeecontribution to be graduated up to €20,000 ayear with a flat 5% rate on all additionalearnings.

ICTU also called for State provision of annuitiesfor small pension pots. This would take the formof a top-up payment on the State pension,similar to an earnings-related pension system.Congress recommended that the scheme bemandatory, with a time limited ‘contributionholiday’ facility for workers which can beclaimed as a single continuous period or anumber of separate periods, and says lowincome workers and sole traders should beautomatically enrolled.

Eligibility for State pensionFórsa was involved in the development of anIrish Congress of Trade Unions submissionregarding a Government consultation paper on a‘total contributions approach to eligibility forState pensions.’ The Congress submissioncovered the design parameters of the scheme tobe introduced to calculate entitlement to thecontributory state pension.

Tax relief on pension contributionsWith input from Fórsa, The Irish Congress ofTrade Unions (ICTU) made a submission to aGovernment public consultation on pensionreform, which is focusing on the cost of taxrelief on pension contributions. Congressexpressed opposition to any fundamentalchanges, pointing out that some 620,000workers receive tax relief on pensioncontributions. Because tax supports areprovided at the marginal income tax rate,workers with annual earnings above €34,550get relief at the 40% rate. In 2017 the averagewage for a full-time worker was €45,611. Anyreduction in the rating of tax expenditure would,therefore, adversely affect every worker earningmore than three-quarters of the average wage.


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Members of the single public service schemehave paid only two-thirds of the ‘additionalsuperannuation contribution’ (formerly thepension levy’) since January 2019. This figurewill fall to one-third from January 2020,reflecting the fact that the benefits of the singlescheme are different from those in the olderscheme.

Under the single public service scheme, accruedbenefits and pensions in payment are uprated inline with annual movements in the consumerprice index (CPI), including negative movements.Since the establishment of the scheme in 2013the following adjustments were made:

leave that includes the last working day before,and the first working day after, a weekend. Itwas subsequently agreed that the records ofstaff who took parental leave before that dateshould be amended on a case-by-case basis attheir time of retirement.

Survivor pensions for same sexcouples The Social Welfare, Pensions and CivilRegistration Bill, 2018 amended the 1990Pensions Act to give a right, in certaincircumstances, to spousal pension benefits forsame-sex spouses and civil partners who aremembers of occupational pension schemes.

Auto-enrolmentEmployers are to be legally obliged to includetheir employees in a pension scheme, and makecontributions to the fund, on foot of a newGovernment scheme outlined in late 2018 onfoot of union submissions. Ireland is currentlyone of only two OECD countries withoutmandatory earnings-related pension savings.

Fórsa backed these ‘auto-enrolment’ proposalsat its national conference in May because theywould benefit tens of thousands of workers whocurrently have no occupational pension,including a small but significant number ofFórsa-represented grades who deliver publicand other services. The new automaticenrolment scheme targets low and middleincome earners to ensure they save towards afinancially secure retirement, with financialcontributions from their employer and the State.

In November 2018, the Government issued adraft proposal on how the scheme could work.Under these proposals, workers would have tocontribute up to 6% of their salary towards theirpension pot, with employers having to matchthat amount. The state would then pay €1 forevery €3 the worker contributes. Participationin the scheme would be compulsory for workersfor six months, after which they could opt out.Workers could also suspend their contributionsin limited circumstances, but employer andState contributions would also cease if anemployee stopped saving.

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n 12 months to December 2014: -0.3%

n 12 months to December 2015: 0.1%




Fórsa has repeatedly called for all members ofthe scheme to receive annual benefitstatements. Although this is required by law,most are not receiving them at present. Theunion has also demanded that a scheme for thepurchase and transfer of pension benefits beput in place. Transfer tables were agreedbetween the ICTU Public Services Committeeand the Department of Public Expenditure andReform in 2016.

A ‘single scheme estimator tool,’ which indicatesthe retirement benefits that public servantshired after 1st January 2013 can expect,became available in the autumn of 2018following pressure from Fórsa. The tool coversstandard-grade members of the single publicservice pension scheme who are currentlyemployed in pensionable posts.

Treatment of parental leaveRevised arrangements for the accrual ofpension while on parental leave have been inplace since 9th February 2018. These meanonly two days of reckonable service, rather thanfour, are deducted from staff who take parental

Gerard McGarrigle andNick Smyth from theOffaly Branch.

Working

conditions

Report 2017-2019

The developments stem from a recent EUdirective on work-life balance, which obligesgovernments to increase access to paidparental leave for both parents. Payment will beat the same rate as prevailing maternity andpaternity leave, which is currently €245 a week.The paid leave must be taken in the first year ofa child’s life.

Meanwhile, in February 2019, legislation toextend unpaid parental leave from 18 to 26weeks and increase the child’s qualifying agefrom eight to 12 years, was again backed by theGovernment after it appeared to havewithdrawn support. Although Fórsa welcomedthis development, reports that the proposalwould be implemented over a two-year periodinstead of immediately were seen asdisappointing. As this report went to print, theParental Leave (Amendment) Bill had passed allstages in the Dáil and was set for detailedexamination by an Oireachtas committee.

Sick leaveThe critical illness protocol (CIP), which governspublic service arrangements for those on long-term sick leave, was improved in early 2018 toallow more managerial discretion about whatconstitutes a ‘critical illness’ in cases where theprecise medical criteria are not met. New ‘CIPmanagerial discretion guidelines,’ negotiatedwith Fórsa and other unions, make it clear thatmanagers have the flexibility to accept illnessesas ‘critical’ even if they have not quite met thethreshold on the basis of medical certification.An appeals mechanism against unfavourablemanagement decisions, with access to thirdparty adjudication, was also put in place.

The CIP arrangements for the ‘protective year’were also improved. The protective year allowsstaff who return to work following a criticalillness to avail of remaining CIP leave forsubsequent non-critical illnesses or injurieswithin one year of their first date of absence.This protective year period will now begin on thedate of return, which means more support forthose returning from a serious illness who thensuffer a routine health problem in the following12 months.

Fórsa was involved in discussions about thecalculation of certain types of sick leave in theone year/four year look back periods, and on theapplication of temporary rehabilitationremuneration (TRR). In the absence of

agreement, the matter was referred to theLabour Court, which issued a recommendationin November 2018. As this report went to print,the union was awaiting departmentalregulations to give effect to this outcome.

Outsourcing, agency staffing andrelated issuesDespite management attempts to water themdown substantially, the PSSA retains all theoutsourcing protections that unions won innegotiations that led to the earlier Croke Park(2010) and Haddington Road (2013)agreements.

The agreement also requires management toengage with unions with a view to minimisingthe use of agency staff. And it includessafeguards over the use of internships, clinicalplacements, work experience, and job activationmeasures, saying there must be “agreement onprotocols” regarding such programmes.

EqualityFórsa campaigned strongly over the last twoyears for the introduction of mandatory genderpay gap reporting to compel employers todisclose their gender pay gap. The union gaveevidence as part of the ICTU delegation to theJustice and Equality Select Committee inNovember 2018 on the need to introducerobust legislation that encompassed allemployers and required the publication ofaccurate data on the gender pay gap. The unionalso said remedial action would be needed toreduce the gender pay gap in each employment.

The union welcomed the ratification of the UNConvention on the Rights of the Disabled, andcontinues to lobby Government to improve theavailability of services for the people withdisabilities and employment rights for disabledworkers.

Fórsa welcomed the new provision of paidparental leave, which was introduced inNovember 2018. This welcome first step givesparents of both genders access to paid leave. Itwill involve a new social insurance parentalbenefit payment for employees and the self-employed, which is to be paid for two weeks foreach parent of a child in their first year. TheGovernment proposes to increase this to seven


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Working timeFórsa is committed to seeking to reverseincreases in working time introduced in thepublic service during the economic crisis.Although there was no general reduction inworking hours under the Public Service StabilityAgreement (PSSA), the deal gave staff theoption of a permanent return to ‘pre-HaddingtonRoad’ hours on the basis of a pro-rata payadjustment. Staff were able to opt into thisarrangement at the beginning of the agreement(January-April 2018) and can do so for a periodafter it expires (January-April 2021). Theagreement also contains a provision to enableannual leave to be converted into flexitime.Although these two provisions fall far short ofthe restoration of additional hours introducedfor some public servants under the 2013Haddington Road agreement, they do giveoptions to staff for whom time is more importantthan money. However, the uptake of bothoptions has been relatively low.

In November 2018, Fórsa added its voice tointernational trade union demands for reducedworking time to ensure that workers share thebenefits of increased productivity fromtechnological change. This is often expressed interms of the introduction of a four-day weekwith no loss of pay. In 2018, the unionorganised an international conference on the

future of working time, which brought togethertrade unionists and working time experts fromIreland, Germany and the UK. This was part ofthe union’s response to the large number ofmotions about working time submitted toFórsa’s national conference in May 2018, whenan executive motion committed the union towork with others to reduce working time in allsectors of the economy.

The PSSA also commits management toensuring that work-life balance arrangements,including flexible working, are available to thegreatest possible extent across the publicservice. It says disputes on local and sectoralimplementation of work-life balancearrangements can be processed through normaldispute resolution processes.

Parental leaveFórsa welcomed long-overdue Governmentplans, announced in late 2018, to increase paidparental leave from two to seven weeks for eachparent by 2021. Along with existing paidmaternity and paternity leave, the change wouldincrease to 42 weeks the amount of paid leaveavailable to new parents during the first year ofa child’s life. It followed the announcement thattwo weeks paid parental leave would be rolledout late in 2019.

15

Industrial

relations


16

extra weeks over time. This means that all newmothers and all new fathers with a child underone year of age will be able to apply for thisleave, along with the normal maternity, adoptive,paternity and unpaid parental leaveentitlements.

The union has established new equalitynetworks to ensure that equality issues arediscussed and progressed within workplaces,branches and divisions. The Women’s ActivistNetwork was successfully launched by ICTUGeneral Secretary Patricia King in November2017. Our new Disability Rights Network waslaunched by Minister for Disabilities FinianMcGrath TD in April 2019. Further work isunderway to organise national events promotingTraveller rights, greater race equality andimproved rights for LGBT members.

Fórsa’s workplace representative trainingprogramme continues to provide workplaceequality training for a large number of localrepresentatives. Our annual Inspire trainingdays, which took place in 2018 and 2019, werevery successful in empowering women activiststo stand for election.

Health and safetyFórsa is an active participant in the IrishCongress of Trade Union’s Health and SafetyCommittee, which has been raising awarenessof work-related mental health, and has beenworking with the Health and Safety Authority toincrease the number of safety representatives inIrish workplaces.

The number of workplace-related accidents fellby 23% in 2018, according to the Health andSafety Authority (HSA). Thirty-seven people losttheir lives in workplaces, which was ten fewerthan in 2017 and the lowest figure since theestablishment of the HSA in 1989.

A new European Union directive on carcinogenswill be put in place in 2019. This has come as aresult of more 100,000 deaths attributed tocancers caused by working conditions acrossEU member states each year.

Zero-hours contractsIn January 2019, Fórsa welcomed theintroduction of legislation which bans zero-hourcontracts in virtually all circumstances. TheEmployment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act,2018, passed through both houses of theOireachtas in December and was signed intolaw on Christmas day 2018. The legislation,which came into force in March 2019, includesprovisions on minimum payments for employeescalled in and sent home again without work. Italso requires employers to give workers basicterms of employment within five days. Unions,which had campaigned hard for these reforms,said there was still an urgent need for greaterprotection for workers in the so-called gigeconomy.

Bogus self-employmentIn February 2019, the Irish Congress of TradeUnions (ICTU) released a policy-summarisingfactsheet on bogus self-employment as part ofits continuing campaign on the issue. Thefactsheet addresses the negative impact ofdeliberate misclassification of employees onworkers, the state and society. The term ‘bogusself-employment’ describes situations whereemployers deliberately misclassify workers asself-employed subcontractors in order to paythem less, reduce their social insurance andpension contribution requirements, dodgebenefits like sick leave, and avoid meeting basicemployment law protections.

Report 2017-2019

Local government staffingLocal government suffered the biggest staffingreduction of any sector in the public serviceduring the economic and social crisis. TheDivisional Executive has noted the significantincrease in recruitment that occurred in thesector in the last two years.

Flexitime: Roscommon CountyCouncilMembers in Roscommon County Councilengaged in a four-day strike in 2018 arisingfrom management’s withdrawal of flexitimefacilities. The strike was the first ever strike inany Fórsa branch. A well-attendeddemonstration in support of the striking workersdrew support from branches throughout thecountry, together with the Irish and internationaltrade union movement including the eightmillion-strong European Federation of PublicService Unions. The dispute secured thereintroduction of flexitime in the council,although difficulties continue with the council inrelation to ensuring consistent application ofWorkplace Relations Commission agreementson the matter.

Online testingThe Divisional Executive expressed concern atthe increasing use of online testing as part ofthe recruitment process in the local authoritysector. The committee’s concerns related to thefitness for purpose of these tests, and the factthat employers were using them to shortliststaff. Long-serving staff, including those who

had years of experience acting-up into thegrades to which they were seeking promotion,were denied interviews.

A ballot for industrial action on the matterreceived overwhelming support from members.Following this, an intervention at the WorkplaceRelations Commission (WRC) resulted in anagreement that staff with more than 12 monthsservice would be allowed to proceed to the nextstage of a promotional process withoutundertaking online tests. The agreement onlyapplies to promotions up to grade VII level.While this agreement is to be welcomed, theunion regrets that it did not come in time toassist many members, including clerical officersin Cavan County Council.

The union will continue its campaign to seeksimilar arrangements for promotions abovegrade VII level.

Common recruitment poolThe common recruitment pool has provided thecriteria for eligibility to compete for positions tograde IV to VII for workers in the localgovernment, health, education and alliedemployments for over three decades.Developments in the health and educationsectors, which secured agreements to confine aproportion of posts to their own sectors, has ledto a structure where local authority workersfaced competition from the sectors withouthaving reciprocal access to them.

Attempts by the LGMA to open all promotionalposts to public competition were resisted byFórsa’s Local Government Division ExecutiveCommittee (DEC) which agreed to ballot therelevant members for industrial action.

17

Wicklow Branch ChairKaren Boyle.

Report 2017-2019Local Government and Local Services Division

18

Members’ overwhelming support prompted theLGMA to alter its proposal to include the optionof 50% of the promotional posts being filled bycompetitions confined to eligible staff in thelocal government sector.

This proposal was also rejected by the DECwhich, in December 2018, agreed to a jointreferral of the dispute to the WRC. A WRChearing was convened in February 2019. At thishearing, the union agreed that the proportion ofpromotional posts to be filled by confinedcompetition should be in line with either theeducation sector or the Civil Service. Thehearing was adjourned to allow the LGMA toconsider the union’s position. The outcome ofany negotiations will be the subject of a ballot ofrelevant members.

Job evaluationIn keeping with successive conferencedecisions, the DEC sought the introduction ofan agreed job evaluation scheme for the localgovernment sector. This is in line with Fórsaachievements in the health and higher educationsectors. An agreed job evaluation scheme wouldallow employers and unions an agreed system toensure that any worker is being paid the rightrate of pay for the job.

However, this is being vigorously opposed bylocal authority employers. In view of this, theDEC referred the matter for third partyintervention. No progress was made on thedispute at the Workplace Relations Commission,and it was referred to the Labour Court, whichheard the case in October 2017. The LabourCourt finding required the union to provide a‘business case‘ for an agreed job evaluationscheme. The union commissioned anindependent business case and has asked theLabour Court to establish arrangements tofinalise its deliberations on the dispute.

OutsourcingThe Public Service Stability Agreement 2018-2020 (PSSA) maintains the protections ofprevious agreements in relation to outsourcing.Essentially these require employers to notifyunions of intentions to outsource core work,which cannot be done on the basis of lowerlabour costs.

Fórsa has been engaged in a number of disputeswith local authorities about the failure to adhereto the terms of the agreement, which allows thelocal authority oversight group to determinewhether the parties are conforming to the termsof the agreement.

In 2018, a dispute in relation to the centralclaims unit in Dublin City Council wassatisfactorily resolved. As this report went toprint, a dispute in South Dublin County Council,concerning legal work in relation to arrears, hasbeen referred to the oversight group.

Water servicesIn 2017, Ervia, the holding company for IrishWater, unveiled proposals to establish a singleentity for the provision of water services inIreland by 2021. This plan would terminate theservice level agreements with local authorities,and envisages the transfer of almost 3,500workers from local authorities to Irish Water.

Fórsa, along with other ICTU unions, metrepresentatives of the Department of Housing,Planning and Local Government, along with IrishWater, Ervia, the CCMA and the LGMA, toascertain their positions on the proposal. InSeptember 2018 the director general of theWorkplace Relations Commission (WRC)reported on an exercise to scope the issuesinvolved in the Irish Water proposal. The reportacknowledged the consensus of the unions.

Separately, the Minister for Housing, Planningand Local Government announced theGovernment’s intention to separate Ervia fromIrish Water by 2023, and to establish IrishWater as a commercial state board. InDecember 2018 the Minister asked unions toengage in a process on the proposal.

After consideration of the invitation, andfollowing a series of meetings of members and adivisional council meeting in February 2019, theDEC agreed to engage in the process based ona series of undertakings for the employers.Principal among these is that there is nopredetermined outcome of the process. Fórsaalong with the other ICTU unions has sought aconstitutional referendum to maintain waterservices in democratic public control and a planfor the maintenance of a vibrant localgovernment system.

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20

The union has demanded and securedagreement that the legal authority tocompulsorily transfer staff to a new entity wouldnot be used in any process.

The full text of the ICTU letter agreeing to enterdiscussions is included as Appendix Two of thisreport.

MaximoThe union secured agreement on payment of anallowance for certain grades who hold andoperate Maximo hand-held terminals.

Regional capital officesIrish Water has produced proposals for thedevelopment of regional capital offices. Fórsahas said that it will be difficult to advance thesewhile the proposal to establish a single entityremains unresolved.

Local authority laboratoriesIrish Water has tabled proposals for laboratoryservices. Fórsa has stated that it will be difficultto advance these while the proposal to establisha single entity remains unresolved.

LibrariesThe Workplace Relations Commission (WRC)intervened in a major dispute in the libraryservice in 2018. A wide range of issuesincluding staffing, amalgamated libraries, librarymanagement systems, staffless libraries,promotions, flexitime, health and safety,qualifications, non-professional grade V postsand branch librarians, had remained unresolved.A comprehensive ballot for industrial action wasoverwhelmingly supported by library members.

A draft agreement was proposed by the WRC inApril 2018. It provided guarantees in relation tostaffing levels, assurances that stafflesslibraries would close if staffing levels were notmaintained, promotions confined to individuallocal authorities, the filling of all county librarianposts, and a path to flexitime for library workers.The agreement was accepted by a ballot ofmembers in June 2018. Discussions areongoing within branches on the implementationof the agreement.

Fire servicesThe DEC requested the fire services sub-committee of Fórsa to consider reorganising itsstructures along the lines of similar groupswithin the union. The committee has beenconcerned with matters relating to continuingprofessional development, the roster, theintroduction of new rosters, and changes inincident command procedures. Fórsa isrepresented on the Fire Services NationalOversight Implementation Group (FSNOIG) byNational Secretary Peter Nolan and Eddie Ryan.

TechniciansThe technicians’ vocational group has submitteddraft terms of reference to the LGMA for acomprehensive revision of the role oftechnicians in local authorities. A number ofbranches have completed reviews of gradingstructures for technicians in their localauthorities. A major national meeting oftechnicians took place to review thesedevelopments in March 2019.

Environmentaltechnicians/scientistsThe group is seeking to ensure adequatepromotional opportunities for these grades. AWorkplace Relations Commission conciliationconference requested the LGMA to giveconsideration to the union’s proposals. Aresponse from the LGMA is awaited.

Veterinary servicesLGMA proposals to establish a regionalstructure for veterinary services were opposedby the group on the basis that they would notadequately protect local authority services.Following a series of constructive meetings withthe LGMA, the proposal was put on hold. Fórsahas indicated to the LGMA that it is willing toconsider proposals that will introduce furtherefficiencies for the service in advance of servicelevel agreement discussions with the FoodSafety Authority of Ireland.

Report 2017-2019

Arts officersThe union has been pursuing upgradings forseven arts officers who were not graded atgrade VII. Following a claim lodged to LANC, theLGMA confirmed that it had no objection to theposts being graded at grade VII level, but thatthis was a matter for individual local authorities.Progress has been made in all authorities exceptCavan and Monaghan. It is likely that thesematters will be referred for third party resolutionif progress cannot be made locally.

ArchivistsThe LGMA has rejected a Fórsa claim forupgrading of staff in the archivist service. Thegroup is considering its next steps.

Museum curatorsThe LGMA has rejected a claim from Fórsa forupgrading of museum curator staff. The group isconsidering its next steps.

Civil defence officersFórsa has sought clerical support for the widerange of additional administrative duties beingassigned to civil defence officers. The group isalso seeking clarity in relation to the liability towork after hours. The group requested Fórsa toundertake industrial action if the matters arenot resolved. A meeting with the LGMA isoutstanding.

Social workers and housingwelfare officersFórsa has expressed concerns over grading andfuture funding of social work services in localauthorities. Local authority social workers havereformed as part of the national social workersvocational group. A number of registered socialworkers and housing welfare officers have beendenied access to the professionally qualifiedpay scale. The LGMA has agreed to a requestfrom Fórsa to meet to address these issues.

21

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) intervened in a major dispute in the library service in 2018 after a ballot for industrial action was overwhelmingly supported by library members.

Appendix one

Salary scales

Appendices

Head of Division Peter Nolan at the launchof the #MorePowerToYou

campaign for improvedlocal services.


22 23

Local authority operative scalesDirector of Service/Executive Manager DCC92,272 – 96,466 – 100,661 – 104,853 –109,049

Senior Executive Officer/County & CityLibrarian/Head of Information Systems/Financial Accountant/Management Accountant/Financial & Management Accountant66,741 – 67,338 – 69,873 – 72,410 –74,951 – 77,464 – 79,994 – LSI 1 82,864 –LSI 2 85,725

Grade 7 – Administrative Officer/SeniorExecutive Librarian48,978 – 50,176 – 51,576 – 52,979 –54,384 – 55,637 – 56,922 – 58,166 –59,405 – LSI 1 61,534 – LSI 2 63,672

Grade 6 – Senior Staff Officer/ExecutiveLibrarian/Senior Legal Assistant/Clerk of Works/Building Inspector46,770 – 47,898 – 49,260 – 51,818 –53,345 – LSI 1 55,246 – LSI 2 57,157

Grade 5 – Staff Officer/Librarian/LegalAssistant42,041 – 43,378 – 44,716 – 46,055 –47,392 – LSI 1 48,942 – LSI 2 50,490

Grade 4 – Assistant Staff Officer/Senior LibraryAssistant27,567 – 29,451 – 32,285 – 34,050 –35,595 – 37,087 – 39,102 – 40,561 –42,041 – LSI 1 43,403 – LSI 2 44,771

Grade 3 – Clerical Officer/Library Assistant23,587 – 25,136 – 25,519 – 26,293 –27,423 – 28,557 – 29,690 – 30,513 –31,603 – 32,689 – 33,459 – 34,538 –35,621 – 37,661 – LSI 39,109

Branch Librarian (Hourly Rate*)12.22 – 13.02 – 13.22 – 13.62 – 14.20 –14.79 – 15.38 – 15.80 – 16.37 – 16.93 –17.33 – 17.89 – 18.45 – 19.51 – LSI 20.26

*Hourly rate for a Branch Librarian is based onthe Library Assistant salary scale. The rateabove, effective from 01/01/2019, is based ona 37 hour working week. Local authoritiesshould amend the hourly rate as appropriate tothe authority’s working week.

County Engineer79,944 – 82,817 – 85,683 – 88,554 –91,424 – LSI 1 94,444 – LSI 2 97,460

Senior Engineer74,695 – 76,464 – 78,227 – 79,993 –81,758 – 83,532 – LSI 1 86,198 – LSI 288,868

Revision of salaries with effect from 1st January 2019 (unless otherwise stated).


24

Senior Executive Engineer64,548 – 66,530 – 67,476 – 69,404 –71,339 – 73,265 – 75,208 – LSI 1 77,646 –LSI 2 80,079

Executive Engineer48,691 – 50,462 – 52,233 – 54,008 –55,783 – 57,556 – 59,331 – 61,097 –62,878 – 64,646 – LSI 1 66,685 – LSI 267,684

Assistant Engineer38,081 – 40,457 – 42,200 – 43,963 –45,712 – 47,464 – 49,224 – 50,976 –52,726 – 54,481 – 56,244 – LSI 1 58,047 –LSI 2 59,852

Graduate Engineer30,874 – 33,554 – 37,169 – 40,464

Project Resident Engineer90,481

Senior Resident Engineer81,686

Resident EngineerFrom: 61,900 to: 69,397

Assistant Resident EngineerFrom: 44,435 to: 61,498

Graduate Resident EngineerFrom: 33,773 to: 44,435

Site Technician Level 1From: 50,134 to: 54,897

Site Technician Level 2From: 42,613 to: 50,134

Chief Technician46,407 – 47,522 – 48,835 – 50,150 –51,472 – 52,649 – 53,850 – 55,010 –56,162 – LSI 1 58,172 – LSI 2 60,191

Senior Executive Technician44,906 – 45,831 – 47,097 – 49,240 –50,532 – LSI 1 52,330 – LSI 2 54,137

Executive Technician42,214 – 43,271 – 44,355 – 45,432 –46,515 – 47,591 – LSI 1 49,148 – LSI 250,699

Technician Grade I39,408 – 40,065 – 40,923 – 41,785 –42,628 – 43,485 – 44,266 – LSI 1 45,709 –LSI 2 47,156

Technician Grade II26,773 – 28,218 – 29,635 – 30,405 –31,453 – 32,495 – 33,199 – 34,241 –35,260 – 36,305 – 37,340 – 38,320 –39,408 – LSI 1 40,689 – LSI 2 41,958

Senior Social Worker66,190 – 68,096 – 70,976 – 73,853 –76,733 – 79,613

Social Worker34,022 – 36,664 – 37,687 – 39,621 –41,627 – 43,630 – 45,615 – 47,646 –49,647 – 51,182 – 52,718 – LSI 53,738

Professionally Qualified Housing Welfare Officer45,019 – 47,171 – 49,322 – 51,479 –53,627 – 55,776 – 57,930 – LSI 59,054

Housing Welfare Officer35,399 – 37,988 – 39,219 – 41,108 –43,084 – 45,042 – 46,982 – 48,940 –50,900 – 52,362 – 53,843 – LSI 54,882

General operatives and relatedgrades (outside the Dublin area)Foreman621.73 – after 0.5 years 625.20 – after 1.5years 628.36 – after 2.5 years 630.17 – after6.5 years 631.35 – after 7.5 years 633.16 –after 8.5 years 635.09 – after 9.5 years637.14 – after 10.5 years 639.02 – after 11.5years 640.92

Driver Plant Operator A609.20 – after 0.5 years 612.62 – after 1.5years 615.57 – after 2.5 years 617.35 – after3.5 years 619.11 – after 4.5 years 620.90 –after 5.5 years 622.53 – after 6.5 years624.41 – after 7.5 years 626.20 – after 8.5years 628.07 – after 9.5 years 629.99

Light Equipment Operator591.16 – after 0.5 years 594.34 – after 1.5years 597.37 – after 2.5 years 599.03 – after3.5 years 600.73 – after 4.5 years 602.45 –after 5.5 years 604.12 – after 6.5 years605.85 – after 7.5 years 607.63 – after 8.5years 609.43 – after 9.5 years 611.39 – after10.5 years 613.26 – after 11.5 years 615.03

Refuse Collector595.88 – after 0.5 years 599.03 – after 1.5years 602.09 – after 2.5 years 603.76 – after3.5 years 605.37 – after 4.5 years 607.07 –after 5.5 years 608.77 – after 6.5 years610.56 – after 7.5 years 612.30 – after 8.5years 614.08 – after 9.5 years 616.01 – after10.5 years 617.89 – after 11.5 years 619.67

Report 2017-2019

25

Ganger600.79 – after 0.5 years 604.14 – after 1.5years 607.14 – after 2.5 years 609.03 – after3.5 years 610.70 -after 4.5 years 612.44 –after 5.5 years 614.29 – after 6.5 years616.01 – after 7.5 years 617.88 – after 8.5years 619.90 – after 9.5 years 621.66 – after10.5 years 623.65 – after 11.5 years 625.51

Driver Plant Operator B623.04 – after 0.5 years 626.31 – after 1.5years 629.61 – after 2.5 years 631.41 – after6.5 years 632.49 – after 7.5 years 634.38 –after 8.5 years 636.33 – after 9.5 years638.29 – after 10.5 years 640.24 – after 11.5years 642.21

Mobile Library Driver/Assistant629.76 – after 0.5 years 632.96 – after 1.5years 636.19 – after 2.5 years 637.99 – after3.5 years 639.75 – after 4.5 years 641.53 –after 5.5 years 643.30 – after 6.5 years645.17 – after 7.5 years 647.02 – after 8.5years 648.89 – after 9.5 years 650.81 -after10.5 years 652.84 – after 11.5 years 654.69

Water & Sewerage Caretaker Grade 3621.73 – after 0.5 years 625.20 – after 1.5years 628.36 – after 2.5 years 630.17 – after6.5 years 631.35 – after 7.5 years 633.16 –after 8.5 years 635.09 – after 9.5 years637.14 – after 10.5 years 639.02 – after 11.5years 640.92

Water & Sewerage Caretaker Grade 5666.61 – after 1 year 673.33 – after 2 years679.88 – after 3 years 687.01 – after 4 years694.12 – after 5 years 701.37 – after 6 years708.44 – after 7 years 715.11 – after 8 years721.74 – after 9 years 726.17

General Services Supervisor729.24 – after 1 year 744.63 – after 2 years759.99 – after 3 years 775.82 – after 4 years791.56 – after 5 years 807.27 – after 6 years823.06 – after 7 years 838.70 – after 8 years854.38 – after 9 years 869.99

General Operative/Labourer529.87 – after 0.5 years 542.50 – after 1.5years 580.75 – after 2.5 years 583.87 – after3.5 years 586.87 – after 4.5 years 588.58 –after 5.5 years 590.31 – after 6.5 years592.00 – after 7.5 years 593.69 – after 8.5years 595.47 – after 9.5 years 597.24 – after10.5 years 599.12 – after 11.5 years 600.95 –after 12.5 years 602.85 – after 13.5 years604.66

Part-time fire service personnelPart-time Firefighter0 – 2 Years 7,8952 – 5 Years 8,7735 – 10 Years 9,83810+ 10,812

Station Officer0 – 5 Years 16,1215 – 10 Years 18,08010+ 19,868

Sub Officer/Driver Mechanic0 – 5 Years 12,2035 – 10 Years 13,68710+ 15,040

Day RateDrill Rate 20.831st Hour 41.66Subsequent hours 20.83

Night/Weekend1st Hour 83.32Subsequent hours 41.66

Appendix two

ICTU letter regarding Irishwater services

Photo: dreamstime.com


26 27

8 February 2019

Mr. Eoghan Murphy TDMinister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government Custom House Dublin 1D01 W6X0

Dear Minister

You wrote to the unions on 11th December 2018 setting out your view that engagement shouldcommence on all matters relating to the Irish Water transformation plan. In this letter, you referencedthe concerns raised by the unions and reiterated your belief that these concerns could be addressed ina multi-strand process as follows:

• Strand One - would seek to develop an understanding on local government’s futuresustainability and revitalisation;

• Strand Two – would be concerned with consulting the unions on the wording and timing of aconstitutional referendum on the future ownership of the public water service;

• Strand Three – would examine the future corporate status, structure and governance ofthe proposed single public water utility;

• Strand Four – would address all employment and industrial relations issues that arise in thecontext of the Irish Water proposal.

These strands of discussion have been proposed in the context of assurances that have already beengiven to the unions which include:

• That there would not be a predetermined outcome to these discussions;

• That there is a strong commitment to a viable and sustainable future of local authorities;

• That there could be a meaningful engagement on the status, structure and governance ofthe proposed single public water utility;

• A commitment that Government will support the holding of a constitutional referendum onthe future ownership of the public water service;

Patricia KingGeneral Secretary

32 Parnell Square T + 353 1 889 7777 [email protected] 1 F + 353 1 887 2012 www.ictu.ie


28

Patricia KingGeneral Secretary

32 Parnell Square T + 353 1 889 7777 [email protected] 1 F + 353 1 887 2012 www.ictu.ie

• An assurance that the provisions of Section 19 of the Water Services Act (No.2) of 2013would not be invoked; and

• That while the discussions are ongoing, all existing agreements will be honoured.

Over the last number of weeks, the unions have been consulting with their members on what you haveproposed. At this point, we are willing to commence engagement along the lines you have suggested.However, it is the position of the unions that any final agreement must deal comprehensively with all ofthe issues that we have raised. To be clear, we will not be in a position to conclude an overall agreementand ballot until the issues contained in each of the strands are addressed to our satisfaction.

I would suggest that initial meetings of each strand be convened and that discussions on each strandbe held in parallel.

I have copied this letter to representatives of management in the LGMA and Irish Water and to therelevant officials in your own department and to the the WRC.

Yours sincerely

Liam BerneyIndustrial Officer

forsa_union_ie

forsaunionie

Fórsa Trade Union

Fórsa trade union

forsa_union

forsa.ie

CORKFather Matthew Quay, Cork, T12 EWV0.Ph: 021-425-5210Email: [email protected]

DUBLINNerney’s Court, Dublin, D01 R2C5.19-20 Adelaide House, Adelaide Road, D02 WAOO.Ph: 01-817-1500Email: [email protected]

GALWAYUnit 23, Sean Mulvoy Business Park, Sean Mulvoy Road, Galway, H91 HT27. Ph: 091-778-031Email: [email protected]

LIMERICKRoxborough Road, Limerick, V94 YY31. Ph: 061-319-177Email: [email protected]

SLIGOIce House, Fish Quay, Sligo, F91 HHX4. Ph: 071-914-2400Email: [email protected]

Documents

Local Government Cover Layout 1 - Forsa · N. O’Brien Design & Print Management Ltd. c/o Kempis, Jamestown Business Park, Jamestown Road, Finglas, Dublin, D11 X2HN. Ph: 01-864-1920