Council chief responds to industrial action by staff

Mayo County Council Chief Kevin Kelly has said the industrial action taken by staff is being monitored to see how its impact can be lessened without ‘cutting across their industrial action’.

The Fórsa trade union, which represents more than 12,000 local authority workers across the country, served industrial action to local authority employers. This involves an indefinite ban on non-statutory political representations from TDs, senators and councillors and came into affect on Monday.

This means that local government workers will not respond to routine queries and requests for information from politicians.

Speaking at Monday's monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council informed councillors that not all staff members are members of Fórsa and are not taking part in the industrial dispute. He explained that monitor how the industrial action will affect the local representatives and how it can be minimised.

“What we will have to do is ascertain over the next couple of days what that impact is and where it is and how members’ representations will be affected. We want to be able to see where the impacts are with regard to staff members who are part of the industrial dispute.

“We will monitor that closely over the next couple of days with the view to see how we can best manage the scenario and lessen the impact of members representations without being accused or seen by the union as cutting across their industrial action,” he told the councillors.

Engagement sought

Fórsa say the industrial action is due to the failure of local authority management to engage meaningfully with the union on the establishment of a job evaluation scheme for workers in the sector. Job evaluation assesses if a job’s grade is properly matched to its duties and responsibilities.

The union said the industrial action had essentially been forced by the LGMA’s (Local Government Management Agency’s) ‘strident’ position in resisting the union’s claim for a job evaluation scheme.

Speaking ahead of the start of the industrial action, Fórsa national secretary Richy Carrothers said: “Management representatives utterly failed to engage meaningfully in resolving this dispute, despite its commitment to do so in a joint referral to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

“There was no meaningful or constructive engagement from the employer side at conciliation hearings in July. Consequently, negotiations broke down. The LGMA has failed the process, and local authority workers, and has betrayed the good faith of the joint referral to the WRC.

“However, there is absolute determination among Fórsa’s membership to secure an appropriate job evaluation scheme in local government, and the action due to commence will illustrate that determination.

“Any attempts to circumvent or undermine the industrial action, or any attempts to intimidate or threaten Fórsa members engaging in this legitimate action, will likely lead to an immediate escalation of the dispute,” he said.

Impact

Fórsa represents more than 12,000 local government and services workers, including clerical, administrative, management, technical and professional staff.

Mayo Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway Walsh called on Minister for Housing and the Local Government Management Agency to move quickly to resolve the staffing crisis in the Local Government sector.

“The Local Government sector is in the midst of a retention and recruitment crisis,” she said. “This is impacting on all levels of service provision. At the centre of this crisis is the refusal of Government and the Local Government Management Agency to work with workers and their representatives to address issues around job evaluation and pay.

“This will obviously have an impact on the ability of TDs and councillors to fully represent our constituents. However, the responsibility for this situation does not rest with the Local Government staff. The blame is solely the responsibility of Government and the LGMA.

“Once again the Government is silent on an issue which is impacting on thousands of workers and the people who rely on the services they provide.

“The Government must return to the negotiation table and to agree a mechanism for progressing the job evaluation process and as key element of addressing the retention and recruitment crisis in Local Government.”