Union backs strike action against decentralisation moves
Workers at the head office of the state training agency are being blackmailed into agreeing to Government plans for decentralisation, it was claimed tonight.
Members of the SIPTU union at FAS head office in Dublin have voted in favour of industrial action over the attempts to move the body to Birr, Co Offaly.
Around 87% of the 250 workers at FAS head office who are represented by SIPTU have voted for strike action.
Greg Ennis, SIPTU branch secretary, warned workers were being compelled to move to Birr as a condition of any promotion within the head office of the state training and employment agency.
“It is decentralisation by blackmail. Our members have put this issue into dispute back in October 2004 when at that time only six people out of 400 had volunteered to move to Birr,” Mr Ennis said.
“We took it to the Labour Relations Commission and onto the Labour Court. And the Labour Court had found that the issuing of such contracts had in fact broken our agreements with FAS.”
As well as linking promotions to decentralisation, Mr Ennis said the agency had introduced new contracts of employment for recruits. The contracts require them to agree to decentralisation before they were employed.
But he highlighted the Labour Court’s decision that relocation must be on a voluntary basis.
Oliver Egan, a spokesman for FAS, said the agency was simply implementing Government policy.
“We have verified on a number of occasions that we are following the correct policy and we have been advised that we are,” he said. “I know of one other agency that is pursuing a similar policy, the Health and Safety Authority.”
Mr Egan said the agency had referred the outcome of the Labour Court to the Department of Finance.
“The Department of Finance have informed us they are willing to participate in any discussions that can be arranged with the unions and they have also said they will be pursuing with Irish Congress of Trade Unions the broader issues involved,” he told RTE Radio.
“Our position is in the meantime we have got to continue with this policy until such stage as it is changed through negotiations and we feel we have no options but to continue with Government policy at this time.”
Following the ballot, Mr Ennis said he would be seeking sanction from the national executive council of SIPTU to serve notice of industrial action on the agency.
