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CSQ
Civil Service Quarterly
SUMMER 2018
forging a
new future
civil service divisional conference 2018
Summer 2018 CSQ
CSQ
3
editorial
Civil Service Quarterly
United and ready
SUMMER 2018
editor:
as never before...
Derek Mullen
dmullen@forsa.ie
asst editor:
Róisín McKane
rmckane@forsa.ie
This is the second edition of Civil time with conference seeking a row
Service Quarterly, the magazine for back on additional hours introduced
members in the civil service division as part of the Haddington road
of fórsa. The first edition of the agreement.
magazine was edited by my colleague Hr shared services, or PeoplePoint
sean carabini who has now moved to as it was called, is now a major priority
fórsa civil service division the education division of the union following 11 motions at conference
and i wish him well for the future in his calling for a fundamental review of
Tel +353 1 817 1500 exciting new assignment. services up to full closure and a return
Tel +353 1 676 5394 as i write this editorial we are about of Hr services to line departments.
Email info@forsa.ie to embark on our journey back to discussions continue with senior
Killarney for the inaugural main dPer officials on this important
conference of fórsa which matter. Time for Government to
will be opened by President sit up and listen on this one.
Michael d Higgins on 16th May. in this edition we report on
copy editing/design:
This conference will bring together conference including the key issues
Brazier Media delegates from all divisions of the referred to here and indeed on
Printed by: union, many to meet for the first important work on-going across the
Mahons time under the fórsa banner. civil service.
The main conference follows what The strength of the new union was
was judged to be a very successful palpable in Killarney and hopefully
first civil service conference at the more so as we gather in May for the
same venue in april at which niall main conference with approximately
McGuirk was elected chairperson and 1,000 delegates expected to attend,
ann McGee and ronan Bolger were with one thing in common – all looking
elected as vice chairs. to the future for full restoration and
if there was one resounding continuing improvements in pay and
message from the civil service terms and conditions of employment
conference it was that we clearly have and – importantly – as part of our new
much more in common than we could union fórsa, the strongest voice for
ever have imagined. delegates from civil and public servants in ireland
former constituencies gelled together today.
on important debates on shared Derek Mullen
services, new entrants’ pay and Editor
working time, setting a considerable
agenda for the incoming executive
and Head office team for 2018 and
beyond.
clearly not every issue is open to
early resolution. However, the
conference has set the agenda,
declared its priorities and the work
begins. indeed, as reported in this
edition, initial talks with Government
are beginning to scope out solutions
on new entry pay. although possible
solutions will not be easily found – as
is the case with additional working
CSQ Summer 2018
4
Survey results
80% report problems
with Hr shared services
Delegates at Fórsa’s recent Civil Service Divi- works at all is down to the dedication of the
Picture: Domnick Walsh
sion conference have called for a fundamental civil servants employed there. They’ve had an
review of the centralised HR shared services extraordinarily difficult time in recent years as
system, formerly known as PeoplePoint, after they try to make a poorly designed system
a survey of members revealed that 83% of re- function.
spondents had experienced problems with it. “But the problem of overpayments, which
A number of motions to the conference held has reached epidemic proportions, is causing
in Killarney in April also called for HR shared great suffering to many civil servants, includ-
services to be scrapped, and for HR services ing many in vulnerable financial circumstances,
to be returned to individual departments and who have to repay money they do not have.”
agencies. Civil servants who are overpaid have to re-
Speaking during the conference, Fórsa Na- turn the money within a year or less.
tional Secretary Derek Mullen said: “The diffi- Mullen continued: “The extensive underpay-
culty with HR shared services is this – it is that ments and unprecedented delays in paying
the management policy is to take the human people their correct salary once they are ap-
out of human resources.” pointed or promoted is equally problematic. It’s
He continued: “We were promised a ‘Brave
New World’ when it was opened in 2013. Even-
tually they set up a call centre. They haven’t That Hr shared services
trained staff very well. It’s under-resourced, works at all is down to the
with very low morale out there because of the
criticism from the wider Civil Service. dedication of the civil
Problems servants employed there
“They are our members and we do have to
protect them. Conference today is calling for a
fundamental review of HR services – and if we difficult to identify a single aspect of HR
can’t fix the problems in that review I think the shared services activity that has not given rise
motions which calls for services to be returned KeY issUe 10 motions on HR shared services to problems.” Survey respondents also ac-
to line departments will be followed up by knowledged that HR shared services staff are
Fórsa.” AT A GLANCE working under excessively stressful condi-
More than half of the 1,079 civil servants tions, but they expressed frustration that is-
who responded to Fórsa’s survey said their pay Problems highlighted in survey... sues previously dealt with in good time by local
had been affected by problems encountered HR departments now took much longer to re-
with HR shared services. Another 18% said solve. Mullen said the project, which was intro-
their sick pay had been affected, and 6% said duced in 2013 to save €2.5 million a year
pension payments had been hit. through staff cuts, was launched before it was
The largest single problem encountered was ready.
overpayments, which staff must repay (23%), “The IT systems were not fully developed and
followed by problems with sick leave reconcili- service level agreements between HR shared
ation (21%), annual leave (19%), payment of services and line departments were unrealistic
increments (17%), pay adjustments following and lacked penalties.
promotion (13.5%), underpayments (9%), pen- “The staffing requirements were poorly un-
sions and parental leave (7% each). derstood, and the organisation had an overre-
Some 67% said there were delays resolving liance on temporary staff from the outset. Our
their problem and 53% complained of poor members in HR shared services also report a
communications. While 31% said they were lack of adequate training for new staff who,
satisfied with the way their query had been with ever-increasing workloads, get little more
processed and resolved, 37% said they were Overpayments 23% than ‘on the job’ instruction. As if the system is
not. Almost a third said they were still awaiting not difficult enough to navigate, staff aren’t
an outcome. Sick leave reconciliation 21% being given the tools to do the job,” Mullen
Only 15% said they had registered a formal added.
complaint, with more than half stating that Annual leave 19% The system is also unable to recognise the
they were unaware of complaints procedures. attendance patterns of shift workers and oth-
Derek Mullen claimed systemic problems Sick pay affected 18% ers with atypical working arrangements. As a
with the system meant staff working in HR result, these employees have effectively had
shared services had been placed in an impos- Increment payments 17% no HR service in recent years.
sible situation – a sentiment reflected in many Fórsa said it launched the survey following a
of the 10 conference motions on the subject Promotion pay 13.5% huge number of complaints from members, as
submitted by union branches. well as senior management’s denial of the sys-
He told CSQ: “That HR shared services
Underpayments 9% temic nature of the problem.
Summer 2018 CSQ
5
News
GreaT TUrnoUT Participants at the charity table quiz in Nerneys Court difficUlT one Table quizzers ponder a real poser
Table
quiz
raises
funds
for
focus Paul MacSweeney
winners Fortis Trifort – Sean Carabini, Dermot Cawley, Celine McEvoy & Denis Ryan – took honours on the night
AGS, Civil Service Division
There was a full house in at-
tendance at the Fórsa Youth
Committee-hosted table quiz
in Nerney Court, on 3rd May
2018, in aid of Focus Ireland.
Focus Ireland is Ireland’s leading not-
for-profit charity working to prevent peo-
ple becoming, remaining or returning to
homelessness.
Focus Ireland’s founder Sister Stanis-
laus Kennedy and Mike Allen, Director of
Advocacy, spoke of the vital services and focUs foUnder Sr Stanislaus Kennedy spoke at quiz ToP TaBle The general secretaries’ team
support provided by the organisation in
combatting the homelessness epidemic dependent living skills, life satisfaction PSEU members going by the name Fortis
blighting the lives of thousands of men, and personal relationships as a result of Trifort comprising Seán Carabini, AGS,
women and children across the towns being housed by Focus Ireland. and Civil Service Divisional Executive
and cities of Ireland at present. The organisation provides youth hous- Committee members Denis Ryan and
The table quiz raised a significant sum ing services in Clare, Cork, Dublin, Limer- Dermot Cawley as well as Celine McEvoy.
for the Focus Ireland ‘Housing First for ick, North Tipperary and Waterford. The triumvirate of general secretaries
Youth’ project, a project which has helped Mike Allen talked of the work carried came joint third.
supplying accommodation at affordable out by Focus Ireland in conjunction with Special thanks goes to Joe O’Connor,
rent levels for young homeless people as TUSLA and Limerick City Council in Lead Organiser, along with members of
well as providing budgeting and life skills Housing First for Youth and noted that the youth committee for organising a
advice and a job path. Fórsa has members in all three organisa- great table quiz for a great cause and to
Young people housed under the project tions. Billy Hannigan – compere extraordinaire –
have reported improvements in health, in- The quiz was won by a team of former on the night.
CSQ Summer 2018
6
GENERAL COUNCIL UPDATE
The General Council is the main industrial relations forum for Civil Service unions, comprising mainly of senior, elected and full-time
By Derek
Mullen
officials from Fórsa and other unions as well as senior officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER).
The Council is established under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme. The Committee meets every month to consider claims
from the union or management side and ongoing policy matters that affect the terms and conditions of civil servants.
claims from conference overpayments circular in relation to out of
Picture: Domnick Walsh
Over the coming months the Staff Panel, year recoupment had to be amended on foot
which is the union side of the Council will as- of instruction from the Revenue Commission-
sess motions from the inaugural Civil Service ers.
Division conference held in Killarney in mid- This will leave members having to make
April. These motions will become claims be- gross repayments on overpayments that
fore Council where appropriate. Included were received net of tax, leaving individuals
among these will be claims on greater access having to claim tax rebates from Revenue.
to higher scales for the Clerical Officer grade, The implications of this change are also to
equality of pay treatment for the Administra- be discussed over the coming weeks. This im-
portant matter is also being addressed in en-
tive Officer grade, flexibility in starting pay
gagements with senior management over the
for professional and technical grades and im-
review of HR shared services.
proved arrangement for force majeure and
marriage leave.
discipline code
We are also returning shortly to discussions
annual leave on the introduction of a disciplinary code for
Motions at the conference also called for
staff on probation. This is an important devel-
more progress on the standardisation of
opment and arises from our discussions on
leave between lower and higher grades. Con-
the main disciplinary code which was revised
ference also noted the progress in terms of
recently. Significantly, the Labour Court has
the recent award of two extra service-based
also judged that employers cannot rely on the
days for COs and EOs and called for the ex-
fact that staff are on probation to defend the
tension of this award to linked departmental lack of a policy.
grades, something that National Secretary
Andy Pike had already been advancing before Mobility
the conference.We also expect a review of We have been advised at Council of a six-
the annual leave circular to commence this week delay in the introduction of the new mo-
year, including the question of the annual bility scheme as DPER try to future-proof the
leave carry-over arrangements. scheme, particularly in relation to sick leave.
This development, we are advised, will ensure
sick leave and increments cil, management issued guidelines to the Civil
that all staff members remain eligible and
There is a lot of business on-going at Council Service that appeared to legitimise the linkage
their sick leave is considered in the round,
including the controversial linkage of sick we had complained about. However manage-
along with other factors, at the time a mobil-
leave and increments. This matter was re- ment deny this was their plan and have agreed ity opportunity arises.
solved in CSO previously but we discovered to enter discussions with Fórsa and other We are also awaiting draft proposals on
the practice was more widespread, in partic- unions at a specially convened sub-committee phase 1B that involves mobility within Dublin.
ular the assessment of sick leave on a pro of Council. The union will be represented by
rata basis over the previous 12 months. National Secretaries Derek Mullen and Andy eo sequences
Anything more than 14 days, which is one Pike at this forum. We are also awaiting a revised decision on EO
quarter of the 56-day limit used for promo- liabilities arising out of discussiond on the in-
tional purposes, was being used as a trigger overpayments troduction of the new 60:40 ratio which
to consider whether an increment should be Just as we were debating HR shared services favours internal promotion over open recruit-
paid. at the Civil Service Division conference DPER ment, which was agreed as part of the PSSA
After we raised this matter again at Coun- were advising us that the policy set out in the talks last year.
Legal advice helpline: 1850 776644
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Domestic Assistance helpline: 1850 776644
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FREE TO MEMBERS There when you need us
Summer 2018 CSQ
7
News
Unions engage dPer
over new entrants’ pay
Fórsa and other public service unions affiliated start of the deal in Jan- 2018, Fórsa believes that Ireland’s strength-
to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) uary 2018 – but the re- ening economic and exchequer recovery means
met senior officials from the Department of port was published it should be possible to start funding it next
Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in late significantly earlier. year, rather than delaying until 2020 or be-
April in what is expected to be the first of a se- According to Fórsa, yond. That would require funds to be allocated
ries of engagements to address pay equity for there will initially be a in October’s Budget.
public service ‘new entrants’. series of engagements “Negotiators must confront the technical
Fórsa has called on the Government to allo- dealing with the practi- challenges presented by the fact that the
cate funds in October’s Budget to begin short- calities of equalising the length of pay scales varies widely across the
ening pay scales for new entrants next year. length of pay scales. civil and public service. Unions also want to en-
This would be earlier than originally envis- The term ‘new en- sure that any solution is fair to all new entrants,
aged in the current public sector pay deal, the trants’ refers to those Bernard Harbor regardless of how long they have been em-
Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA). employed in the civil and ployed.”
The union said this could be done by agree- public service since January 2011, and they He added: “Pay equity is a priority for all
ment between the two sides, and pointed out now constitute nearly one in five of public serv- trade unions, and every bit of progress in ad-
that other recent public service agreements – ice workers. Their pay scales are currently two dressing this injustice has been achieved by
including Croke Park, Haddington Road and points longer than those of other staff, which unions collectively, through national pay nego-
Lansdowne Road agreements – had been means it takes them two years longer to get to tiations and public service pay agreements.”
amended or replaced earlier than set out in the the top of their pay scale. The DPER report, titled Examination of Re-
deals and in response to changing fiscal con- It is understood no money has been bud- maining Salary Scale issues in Respect of Post-
ditions or other factors. geted by the Government to deal with the issue January 2011 Recruits at Entry Grades,
The April meeting was scheduled following in 2018, and Ministers has not yet conceded identified 60,513 new entrants, who make up
the publication in mid-March of a DPER report Fórsa’s call for some money to change hands 19% of public service workers. It said fully
looking into salary scales relating to post-Jan- next year. equalising the pay scales would cost approxi-
uary 2011 recruits at entry grades. Under the However, Fórsa spokesperson Bernard Har- mately €199 million. It did not explore the
PSSA, DPER accepted a commitment to pub- bor told CSQ: “This is an equity issue and, while issue of allowances withheld from new en-
lish the information within 12 months of the no money has been allocated to resolve it in trants.
i’m really
pooched...
Doggie delegate at the
divisional conference in
Killarney has a breather
after all the debate...
More pix from divisional
conference: centre pages
Picture: Domnick Walsh
CSQ Summer 2018
8
Getting
down to
business
Derek Mullen
dmullen@forsa.ie
Pictures: Domnick Walsh
The inaugural conference of the Civil Service
Division was held on 19th and 20th April at the
INEC Killarney. More than 600 delegates at-
tended from across the Civil Service taking
part in what was a hugely successful first out- welcoMinG addresses Joint Chairpersons
ing for the Civil Service Division. Niall McGuirk, Ann McGee and Kieran Sheehan
The combined delegates of the former
unions joined together under the Fórsa banner dress, made it clear that the next opportunity
and it was their collective contribution on a se- to deal with the matter in a realistic way was in
ries of key debates that made the conference the next round of pay bargaining.
the success it was. One of the most difficult debates at the con-
Joint chairs Niall McGuirk, Ann McGee and ference dealt with PeoplePoint or HR shared
eXPerT advice Billy Hannigan
Kieran Sheehan welcomed delegates and services as it is now known. Delegates moved
made strong opening speeches stressing the 11 motions, ranging from a call for a funda- Billy Hannigan, National Secretary
importance of what we had done in creating mental review of the service to a full closure and resident pensions expert in Fórsa,
Fórsa and the opportunities it now gave us to with the return of HR transactions to line de- delivered a detailed presentation on this
make advances for our members. partments. key issue at the conference. What Billy
The strength and unity of delegates was Responding to the debate, National Secre- outlined in the presentation left dele-
clear to see in the INEC and there was consid- tary Derek Mullen commended the hard work gates with much to ponder over – and one
erable pride in what we had achieved in creat- of members in shared services. He told dele- of the unintended (or not) consequences
ing the biggest public service union in Ireland. gates: “That HR shared services works at all is of this was a deluge of queries he
What was remarkable about this conference down to the dedication of the civil servants received before leaving Killarney.
was the extent to which delegates merged to employed there. They’ve had an extraordinarily
present one voice on the key issues affecting difficult time in recent years as they try to
elections
Civil Service members. In the best tradition of make a poor-designed systen function.”
conference, their ire was directed at the em- Derek Mullen also spoke about the findings
ployer and, to some extent, the Head Office of the latest survey of union members which
Team who were pressed to take stronger action flagged up how 80% of respondents indicat- chairperson Gerry Wilson
in a number of important motions dealing with ing that they had a difficulty with HR shared Niall McGuirk executive
pay restoration, starting pay for new entrants, committee
services (see story page 4).
working time and shared services. vice chairpersons (former PSEU)
Conference also dealt with a range of mo-
Conference kicked off with a motion from the Ronan Bolger Melissa Brennan
tions focusing on promotions including a return
Legal Officers Professional Branch seeking full Ann McGee Michael Crowe
to some level of seniority promotion, a change
pay restoration for civil servants still affected Audrey Lyons
in the selection methodology favoured by PAS, Dermot McAuley
by FEMPI provisions. There was then a raft of
and appropriate feedback after competitions. executive Rhona McEleney
motions seeking the abolition of new lower
Civil rights were to the fore in a number of committee Deirdre Mehigan
starting points for all new entry grades. It was
motions from Culture Heritage & Gaeltacht (former CPSU) Kevin Melinn
very clear from the debate that this a key pri-
ority for Fórsa (see story page 7). and Housing. The motions, which called for Daniel Copperthwaite Jack O’Connor
The Clerical Officer Branches, including PSO freedom of political association and expression Stephanie Kelly Brian Redmond
in the Civil Service for grades previously rep- Sue Kelly Denis Ryan
Sligo and Limerick, successfully moved mo-
resented by the PSEU, were backed by confer- Kathleen McGee
tions on greater access to higher scales and
ence. Liam McLoughlin national
the Buncrana and Probation Branches in-
The equality agenda was also highlighted at Terry Murphy executive
structed the union in their respective motions
the conference with motions seeking a review Tanya O’Neill committee
to fight for the living wage as a minimum for Jean Taylor Melissa Brennan
starting pay in the Civil Service. of all family-friendly initiatives including work-
Betty Tyrrell Collard Sue Kelly
A motion from Agriculture CS Executive sharing with a view to addressing some of the
Rhona McEleney
grades continued the pay theme and sought limitations imposed during the economic crisis.
executive Jack O’Connor
pay equality for administrative officers. One of the other important pieces of busi- committee Tanya O’Neill
One of the biggest debates at the confer- ness at Conference was the election of the (former Impact) Denis Ryan
ence focused on seven motions seeking Civil Service Divisional Executive. Niall Eimear Codd Kieran Sheehan
restoration of pre-Haddington Road working McGuirk was elected Chair and Ann McGee Eugene Dunne
hours. Delegates spoke passionately on the and Ronan Bolger elected as Vice Chairs. This Sean Lowde
issue making it clear that it had to be a priority new Executive will replace the interim commit- Tom Madden
for Fórsa. Tom Geraghty, in his conference ad- tee in place since January. Kieran Sheehan
Summer 2018 CSQ
9
Divisional Conference 2018
our potential for change
Geraghty sets out Fórsa agenda for coming year in keynote address
Fórsa General Secretary (Public Service) Tom 10% lower at each point for new staff, were Haddington Road hours with an accompanying
Geraghty has called on the Government to set imposed in January 2011. They were among cut in salary or to use annual leave as hours on
aside funding to begin shortening pay scales the many cuts, including pay cuts averaging the clock, the problem remained “unresolved”,
for new entrants to the public service next year 14% for all civil and public servants, imposed adding, “perhaps the only promise that can be
– at least a year sooner than what was set out without agreement by the then-Government in made is that we will revisit [it] in future negoti-
in the Public Sector Stability Agreement 2009-2010.” ations.”
(PSSA) brokered in the summer of 2017. Citing the 2013 Haddington Road Agree- Turning to HR Shared Services, formerly
Geraghty, who is also secretary of ICTU Pub- ment as well as the PSSA, he continued: “Since PeoplePoint, Geraghty referred to a recent sur-
lic Services Committee, made the call in a then, every bit of progress in addressing this in- vey of members that had flagged up “a wide
speech to 700 delegates gathered for the justice has been achieved by unions collec- range of difficulties across the entire span of
union’s inaugural Civil Service Division confer- tively, through national pay negotiations and HR interactions”. Listing these “horrendous ex-
ence in Killarney in April. public service pay agreements.” periences”, they involved members owing “sub-
He told conference: “While it is correct to say He told delegates that unions would shortly stantial amounts of money” through
that no monies have been allocated [by the be engaging with DPER officials again on the overpayments as well as underpayments and
Government] to do this in 2018, I believe that issue with the aim of equalising the length of
Ireland’s strengthening economic and excheq- pay scales and pressing for them to be short- we never take our members
uer recovery means it should be possible to ened “as quickly as possible”. for granted and never
start funding it next year, rather than delaying Pinpointing working hours as “one of the
until 2020 or beyond. That would require funds biggest grievances” felt by members, Geraghty forget that this is their
to be allocated in October’s Budget.” warned conference of the difficulty involved in organisation and
At present, the pay scales of civil and public shifting the Government’s position on the issue. we are their sevants
servants who entered employment since 2011 He said: “The fact that despite all the time
– some 53,000 workers according DPER fig- and effort devoted to it, we could not budge the
delays in payments and he pointed out that the
ures – are currently two points longer than employer to roll back any part of the additional
concern of members was reflected in the num-
other staff which effectively means it take working time is, itself, an indicator of how diffi-
ber of motions on the subject at conference.
them two years longer to reach the top of their cult it will continue to be to make any progress However, he emphasised that members of
pay scale. on the matter and it would be foolish of me to the union working in HR Shared Services were
Claiming pay equity was key a priority for all appear to make any promises on the issue.” not to be blamed for the “systematic failings of
trade unions, Geraghty told delegates: “The im- Though some headway had been made on an organisation for which they are not respon-
position of two-tier pay scales, which were giving workers the option to revert to pre- sible”.
Geraghty referred also in his speech to the
PaY eQUiTY a PrioriTY Tom Geraghty
restoration of a 5% cut to allowances made in
hit out at imposition of two-tier pay scales
2010 – and said that union negotiators would
be “seeking a 2019 solution” to the issue.
On training and organisation, Geraghty
talked up the “significant possiblities” that had
been created by the formation of the new
union. He said: “We now have the capacity to
link into a team of organisers to assist
branches in recruitment and organisation. We
need to develop an approach whereby
branches in the Civil Service can avail of this
facility.
We now [also] have the opportunities to de-
velop branch activists through a wider range of
training courses to enable activists to grow the
necessary skill-sets to carry out their functions
effectively.”
In his concluding remarks, Geraghty said the
formation of Fórsa had created an “enormous
potential” to improve members’ lives and that
it was “up now up to all of us to realise the po-
tential that we have created”.
After thanking members of the Divisional
Committee and fellow officials, he praised del-
Picture: Domnick Walsh
egates and activists for all the work they did
for members. He also directed his comments
towards the general membership of the union.
“We never take them for granted and we
never forget that this is their organisation and
that we are their servants.”
CSQ Summer 2018
10
KeYnoTe address Tom Geraghty
sPeaKer Yvette Kelly deleGaTes Aoife Enright & Paddy Harte
sPeaKer Fran Grimes
aPPlaUse Billy Hannigan, Andy Pike and Kieran Sheehan
CSQ Summer 2018 Summer 2018 CSQ11
Divisional Conference 2018 Pictures: Domnick Walsh
aPPreciaTion Standing ovation from delegates
for veteran trade unionist George Maybury who is
sHarinG a JoKe Don Deane, Deirdre Fanning & Brian Burns retiring in December. Fórsa conference tweet (inset)
arrival Mark Smyth and Maurice Magee all sMiles Delegates take a break in the sun outside conference
deleGaTes Niall Lynch & Niall Neely aPPlaUse Delegate John Flanagan
CSQ Summer 201812
Tributes
frank Murray r.i.P. of part-time study. Indeed, our paths were to
cross again many years later when Frank
chaired the board of the IPA, of which I was a
Loss of an outstanding member, both of us happy to give something
public servant
back to an institution from which we had bene-
fited. Frank’s chairing reflected his relaxed, tol-
erant style.
Many years ago I was a young Executive Of- My predecessor as PSEU general secretary,
ficer in the Department of the Taoiseach. A Dan Murphy, often recalled Frank’s role in get-
team of senior officials lead by Dermot ting a small association of Oireachtas clerks to
Nally, and including Wally Kirwan and Frank join the CSEU back at a very early stage in
Murray, worked hard from that department Frank’s career. I always found it hard to recon-
to build relationships and forge links in cile Frank’s easy-going, diplomatic style with
Northern Ireland and with British counter- the idea of union activism. After he left the
parts. Oireachtas and before I knew him, Frank was
It was slow, painstaking work that often private secretary to the late Liam Cosgrave
looked to be pointless and it took many when he was Taoiseach, so he was always des-
years to bear full fruit. Frank passed away tined to go on to be influential which, given his
recently and my mind went back to the end- personal attributes, is no surprise to anybody
less frustrations that he bore in that period who knew him.
with his characteristic patience and self-ef- I did not realise that Frank has been ap-
facing persistence. pointed as a commissioner for the ‘Disap-
Frank went on subsequently to be the peared’ after his retirement but I can see why
Secretary to the Government and, as we he was an obvious choice. His pleasant, calm
know, Northern Ireland eventually saw a and efficient air would have given great com-
cessation of violence. fort to the poor families and would have offered
It was the greatest living Irishman, John the assurance of integrity to the murderers,
Hume, somebody with whom Frank worked whose help is required in finding the sites of
closely, who, seeing beyond the latest those who lie in cold, unmarked graves.
bloody atrocity by the IRA or their loyalist His family have said that he derived great
mirror images, identified presciently that hues. He represented the continuation of a comfort from the fact that 13 bodies of the vic-
the problem of Northern Ireland is that the time-honoured commitment to service that tims have been recovered and have now been
problem of Northern Ireland never changes. characterises the best public servants. given a decent burial.
Frank Murray had the necessary personal Like so many before third level became The families of victims have lost a friend with
attributes to contribute to addressing that accessible to all but the rich, Frank acquired Frank’s passing; Leitrim has lost one of its
underlying problem of sectarian tribalism. his third level qualification on a part-time proudest sons and Ireland has lost an out-
He was a reserved man who never sought basis after entry to the Civil Service. He standing public servant but the loss to his fam-
the limelight, who, in the best Civil Service went on to use those qualifications to edu- ily is the greatest of all and it is to them that we
tradition, kept his political views to himself cate others and he lectured me in public extend our heartfelt sympathies.
and made himself useful in the best possible management in the Institute of Public Ad- Tom Geraghty
sense to successive governments of varying ministration, when I followed the same path General Secretary/Public Service
ronan lenihan r.i.P. When he married Mary and took on the
role of stepdad and grandad, Ronan was
Union stalwart and
completed. So, it was doubly sad that Mary
and family and Ronan’s beloved mother, Ida,
a born story-teller should have been forced to bid farewell to
this big, kind-hearted man.
Ronan loved to tell stories. The one that
Back in now what seems a different era, del- he often recounted is about the day when he
egates to PSEU conferences had to figure was leaving Leinster House that he was mis-
out from the agenda what was under discus- taken for the late Jackie Healy-Rae and was
sion. Ronan Lenihan changed that. As a assaulted by protestors. I am not sure what
member of the Standing Orders Committee, hurt most, whether it was the assault or the
Ronan introduced the technology, now com- affront to be mistaken for a man with an un-
monplace but innovative for its time, of an mistakable hairstyle!
electronic display on screen of the item I dealt with Ronan in his capacity as an
under discussion. Oireachtas clerk and he served our demo-
Before he became a PSEU stalwart, cratic institutions with distinction.
Ronan had served his time as a CPSU ac- Ronan had poor health in recent times and
tivist and, in later years, had served on the took early retirement to try to battle illness.
AHCPS Standing Orders Committee. Sadly, it was a battle that ultimately he was
The term ‘larger than life’ could have been to lose. He was a good man and we shall not
invented for him. Being single for much of see his like again.
his life, Ronan brought his mother around Tom Geraghty
the world with him. General Secretary/Public Service
Summer 2018 CSQ13
News
Professional and Technical
Revisions sought over ‘fitness to practice’ extension
new salary framework The remit of CORU, the regulatory body for health professionals, is
shortly to be extended to cover educational psychologists and proba-
The Forensic Science Branch is seeking a re- tion officers. The existing Fórsa ‘fitness to practice’ scheme will be ex-
vised framework for assessing starting tended to members of both branches. The scheme provides for legal
salaries on appointment from the private sec- representation in relation to any complaint brought before CORU in re-
tor in response to growing recruitment and re- lation to professional practice. By Andy Pike
tention difficulties within the service.
Return of jump increments sought
If such an approach is agreed staff would
come in at a scale point commensurate with
skills, qualifications and experience, which
would counteract the problem of poor reten- Fórsa members in the CSO are taking rium on recruitment of statisticians,
tion of staff now affecting the service. a claim to adjudication seeking the DPER withdrew from the agreement
restoration of their collective agreement on without informing the union or staff.
Ministerial drivers jump increments. This agreement provided
for accelerated incremental progression for
Now that recruitment has taken place
again, several members have reached the
claim still unresolved professional staff (jump increments) after a
number of years’ service to assist with the
point on the scale where these provisions
should apply and on that basis Fórsa is
retention of staff. seeking the application of the agreement
A Fórsa claim for new employment contracts Following the imposition of the morato- for new entrant members.
for ministerial drivers (Members of Civil Serv-
ice No.1 Branch) has still not been resolved.
The union is seeking a new contractual frame-
work setting out clearly rights to subsistence
dead heat in ocfa ballot over
payments, annual leave and security of tenure
for Fórsa members employed to drive for Min-
career structure proposals
isters and Cabinet members. Members of the OCFA Branch in and overseas. The ballot was a tie
One of our members is due to have an unfair DFAT were recently balloted on a with 20 members voting for the
dismissal claim heard by the WRC shortly and proposal to create a new career proposal and 20 against. Fórsa
the outcome of this claim may inform discus- and grade structure for develop- staff are now working with the
sions in the future. ment specialists working in Ireland branch to identify a way forward.
agri news
Picture: Livestock Ethique & Animaux L214 (CC BY 2.0)
new specialist grade
for agri lab attendants
A Fórsa claim to the Civil Service Arbitration Meanwhile our Agriculture No 1 Branch at-
Board has secured the creation of a new spe- tended an adjudication hearing over members
cialist grade for agricultural laboratory atten- being required to conduct additional carcass
dants working in regional DAFM laboratories. trim checks in meat plants. The additional trim
Following a lengthy period of negotiation the checks will now commence with a review in 12
claim was referred for arbitration, the Board months’ time.
recommended the creation of a new specialist Separately Fórsa has secured payment for
grade with the existing post mortem allowance technical agricultural officers of the DAFM
being incorporated into a new scale which
livestock allowance (ICD) of €3,500 to new
would then be increased by between 1.5%
entrants with payment backdated to 1st Jan-
and 2%.
uary 2018.
Discussions on implementation of this bind-
Finally in Agriculture the Fórsa Agri Labs
ing recommendation will now take place with
Branch (representing technical and scientific
FGE Branch members and DAFM manage-
ment. staff) is to consult members on submitting as
The arbitration finding does not meet the full claim to DAFM that the minimum entry level
expectations of members carrying out difficult, qualification should be established as FETAC
demanding and complex work within the Agri Level 8 for all laboratory analyst posts.
Lab. However, the finding is significant in that If this claim were to succeed it would estab-
it is the first report issued for many years that lish the laboratory analyst post as an Honours
recommends structural changes and a new graduate position securing the professional
grade beneficially affecting pay levels. status of the grade.
CSQ Summer 201814
data Protection commissioner
dPc set to become
Picture: UK MInistry of Defence (CC BY-NC 2.0)
a scheduled office
Paul MacSweeney
AGS, Civil Service Division
The establishment of the Data Pro- concerns about the lack of promo-
tection Commissioner (DPC) as a tional opportunities, training and
scheduled office was initially ear- career development available in
marked for 25th May when Gen- the new organisation.
eral Data Protection Regulations While members have access to a
(GDPR) came into force. wide array of work and to internal
Some functions will transfer to promotions across the Depart-
DPC in May but it is not envisaged ment of Justice & Equality, at pres-
that it will be set up as a scheduled ent this access will no longer be
office until later in the year or, pos- available when the DPC becomes
sibly, early next year. a scheduled office. The union will
Members, who are currently em- discuss a career path for members
ployees of the Department of Jus- with DPC management as well as
tice & Equality, have raised other retention mechanisms.
agriculture
Combined Services Union’s role in
partnership to
Third World Fund be respected
Difficulties arose in recent weeks over
management proposals to reinvigorate
Since it was founded in 1980, the Combined Services Third World Fund has spent the partnership process and engage with
more than €8 million on development projects and emergency aid grants staff as part of this initiative.
throughout the developing world. However, agreement was reached at
Departmental Council to ensure that the
union role in all of this will be respected
The CSTWF is able to do this because of the generous contributions made by employees by the Department. In fact, there is to be
and pensioners of the Civil Service, An Post, eir & other State agencies. a meeting very shortly to discuss all the
detail including structures, selection of
reps, agenda items and the interaction of
Contributions are deducted at source from salary/pension central partnership with local commit-
at a rate of either 0.1% or 0.2% of basic pay – your choice – working out tees.
at one cent or two cents for every €10 of pay/pension. On the former PSEU side, we will meet
management on the 21st May to discuss
cross-stream reporting as well as
AO/HEO issues.
Meanwhile, on the professional and
technical front discussions continue on a
Makes a lot of sense range of fronts including the AS review
which is nearing completion.
Dates are agreed for the Review Com-
for just a few cents... mittee to meet with the Chief Veterinary
Officer and the Chief Inspector. The Re-
view Committee will then be in a position
to issue the final report shortly after
FIND OUT MORE...TEL: 00 353 1 4082473/75 EMAIL: info@cstwf.ie WEB: www.cstwf.ie these meetings take place.
Management has given a commitment
to hold an AS competition as soon as the
review is completed.
They have also informed Fórsa that
that a new TAO recruitment competition
will be advertised in May 2018.
Picture: John Martinez Pavliga (CC BY 2.0)
Summer 2018 CSQ15
News
dept of Justice & equality
Financial functions nsso staffing pressures
transfer to NSSO – Discussions continue with manage-
ment on staffing pressures in the
HR shared services side. There are
delays in the transition of staff to
the impact on staff NSSO. We had a recent meeting NSSO as part of the development
with management of payroll in Kil- of Financial Management Shared
Fórsa held a bilateral with HR on the
larney to discuss related matters. It Services but in the meantime we
staffing implications of the transfer was agreed to keep staffing under are to consider draft proposals to
of financial functions from the review over the course of the year. allow staff who are pending transfer
Department in Killarney to the Similar talks are expected on the into NSSO competitions. By Derek Mullen
National Shared Services Office
(NSSO). Further discussions with Garda civilians
NSSO and Department of Justice HR
Multiple issues discussed with management
are set to be held in May.
Our main concerns relate to clarity
on work being transferred to our
There are numerous discus- tive, Cultural Audit, Code of There are also area-specific
members in Killarney, work for payroll
sions and briefings taking place Ethics, Divisional Protective issues such as the staffing re-
staff remaining in Justice, career
in the Garda civilian area at Units, Performance Accounta- quirements for the crime reclas-
progression and ensuring that the present. bility framework, Garda Mobility sification project in GISC,
transfer from one employer to the These include the duty roster Project, Performance Manage- Castlebar, as well as an issue
other runs smoothly. The transition and management system, Hy- ment and Learning Framework around a Saturday allowance
across to the NSSO, initially brid Policing Model, continuing (for gardaí), Computer Aided for a small number of people,
scheduled for June 2018, will civilianisation, General Data Dispatch, and Accommodation where discussions continue.
progress at a later stage. Protection Regulations Initia- limitations in Templemore.
irish Prison service
iPs as a stand-alone org
Talks are continuing over the Irish Prison Serv- l Sequencing arrangements.
ice (IPS) becoming a stand-alone organisation. Clerical Officer recruitment for IPS in Long-
Arising out of further discussions, a written ford has also started and Fórsa has written to
proposal was put to members in a ballot over IPS HR advising them that the competition
the proposed setting up of the IPS as a sched- can only be used to fill 50% of the CO vacan-
uled office which would proceed on an admin- cies with the other half to be filled by way of
istrative basis.
In turn, there will be an internal competition
to fill six or seven AP positions and three or
four PO posts (these numbers are indicative).
Internal competitions will start with PO com-
petition, then AP, HEO and EO.
It has been further agreed that there will be transfer, as per central agreement.
ongoing discussions on: Due to delays in rolling out the mobility sys-
l Management of HR function for HQ staff; tem HR has been advised that the central
l Learning and development opportunities; transfer list should be used to fill the CO va-
l Higher scales; cancies liable to be filled by transfer.
revenue deasP
Talks continue on PAYE modernisation ‘Bradford Factor’ tool
Discussions continue in Revenue on PAYE even started a discussion regarding the used by management
modernisation and Revenue realignment, opening hours of the main Revenue 1890 The Department of Employment Affairs and
which is a restructuring by any other name. line, where they had indicated a require- Social Protection recently issued an office no-
Fórsa voiced criticism at Departmental ment for longer opening. However, following tice 36/2018 regarding the management of
Council over the fact that staff communica- our discussion at Council, it was agreed repeated/ongoing sporadic short-term ab-
tion was getting ahead of union engage- that talks will commence in May. sences using a HR tool called the Bradford
ment on some of the key aspects of these Also the union is in talks with Revenue Factor. Fórsa has requested a management
issues. In particular we were concerned about the implementation of the adjudica- meeting to discuss this notice and have con-
that management were communicating tion finding for former-PSEU grades which firmed that this is not an agreed position and
customer service requirements directly to dealt with a long-standing claim related to noted that DPER has been asked to withdraw
staff in circumstances where we hadn’t “debts” due to direct promotion panels. the disputed sick leave and increment docu-
ment which led to this office notice in DEASP.
CSQ Summer 201816
International
coloMBia:
deadlY Toll
The sign reads
‘Five murders in
48 hours’...
the pain
goes on...
Picture: Marcha Patriotica
Tom Geraghty
General Secretary/Public Service
When I was in Colombia in 2014 as part of a
British/Irish trade union and parliamentary
delegation, hopes for peace were high. The 50-
year civil war was the subject of talks. All the
signs were that the FARC guerrillas and Presi-
dent Santos wanted a peaceful end to the
conflict and a movement towards a mod-
ernising of the economy.
One academic warned us, however, that es-
sential as peace was, the dismantling of struc- siGn of Peace
tures created in conflict would bring with it President Santos
inevitable volatility and the probability of less and FARC leader
structured, but no less deadly, violence. Timoleon Jimenez
shake hands after
He cited as an example the descent of former signing 2016
right-wing paramilitaries into a cycle of criminal peace deal
violence and the killing of human rights defend-
ers by them after their formal paramilitary frontation, it is a consequence of cold and women of Colombia who stand
structures had been dismantled. Sadly, he has calculation that puts activists of all types, by and speak for the poor and the
proved to be prescient in his analysis. including trade unionists, at risk. dispossessed of that country.
2017 was the first full year of peace in more Within the official government, there are Until or unless, the central govern-
than half a century. It was also the deadliest for those who make a genuine attempt ment directs its attention to the
human rights defenders, with 121 killed (com- to ensure the rule of law and the protection of its own people,
pared with 60 in 2016). One cause is that state’s Inspector General is on the problem will continue.
right-wing paramilitaries have moved into record as condemning the In 2014, I asked a high-
former FARC territories and those who seek to seeming inability of the ranking army officer, “What
defend land rights become easy targets. state to protect social are you going to do to stop
Indeed, the more remote the area the greater activists. It is an obviously valid men for whom you are re-
the risks and the higher the casualties. point. In 2016, the sum total sponsible from murdering
It is an indication of the economic element of of four convictions were se- your own people?”
the killings and the link to issues of land and re- cured for such killings.
The people of Colom-
sources that, apparently, three out of five It is an awful irony that bia still await an adequate
killings are carried out by contract killers. This peace should have increased response.
is not a consequence of spontaneous con- the danger for the brave men
Summer 2018 CSQ17
Transfers
To place an ad, or apply to one listed, email transfers@forsa.ie
MJ17 Defence Newbridge or possibly any Canteen and car-parking facilities avail- Government department in Limerick,
eo, DAFM Johnston Castle Wexford, other department in Kildare. Flexi time, able. Tipperary town, Thurles, Cahir or
seeks transfer to any Government of- canteen and free parking available. Clonmel.
fice in Cork. This is a pleasant rural MJ26
parkland building with a lot of car park- MJ22 Heo, Revenue Waterford, seeking MJ31
ing, canteen and flexi time. It is 10 eo, full time, Director of Public transfer any Department in Kilkenny for Heo, Full-Time, Revenue Commission-
mins drive from Wexford town. Prosecutions, Dublin 7 seeks head to family/commuting reasons. Free parking ers Sligo seeks transfer to any Depart-
head transfer to any Dept/Office on and flexi time available, with opportuni- ment in Sligo or Leitrim, to broaden
MJ18 southside or city centre for commuting ties for promotion. experience. Flexi-time and parking
eo, Central Statistics Office Cork, 4.5 reasons. Non public/friendly office, available.
day week (willing to increase to 5 days), interesting work. Flexi time and free MJ27
seeks transfer to any department in Mi- car parking available. Next to Heuston Heo, National Shared Services Office, MJ32
dleton or Youghal for personal reasons. Luas stop and train station. Deerpark Building, Killarney wishes to Heo, full time, Central Statistics Office,
Friendly working environment, flexitime transfer with a HEO in Cork. All areas in Rathmines, Dublin 6 seeks transfer to
and parking available. MJ23 Cork initially considered. Flexitime/park- any dept/office in Laois/Offaly/New-
Heo, full time, NSSO, Galway. Seeks ing etc. available bridge/Kildare area for commuting
MJ19 transfer to Clare/Limerick for commut- purposes. Family friendly office with car
eo, Department of Education & Skills, ing purposes only. Lovely location, MJ28 parking and flexi time available.
Athlone, seeks head to head transfer friendly people, flexi, canteen & free car Heo, Revenue Commissioners, Let-
to any Government department in parking available. terkenny seeks transfer to any other MJ33
Roscommon town for commuting Government department/office in Co Heo, Department of Public Expenditure
reasons. Flexi time, Car park and MJ24 Donegal in order to broaden experience. & Reform, Dublin 2 seeks transfer to
canteen available. Heo, full time, Department of Culture, Friendly office with flexi-time and park- any Government department/office in
Heritage and the Gaeltacht seeks ing available. Dublin city centre. Flexi time and work-
MJ20 transfer to any Government department sharing available. Transfer to broaden
eo, full time, Central Statistics Office, in Longford, Westmeath or Roscommon MJ29 experience.
Cork seeks transfer to any Government for family and commuting reasons. Heo, full time, Department of Defence,
department in Tipperary town, Cahir, Friendly office with flexi time available. Newbridge seeks a transfer to any
Thurles, Clonmel or anywhere in South department in Portlaoise for commuting
Tipperary for personal reasons. MJ25 reasons. Flexi time, canteen and car
Heo, full time, Department of Educa- park available.
MJ21 tion & Skills, Athlone seeks head to
eo, Revenue Commissioners, South head transfer to any Government De- MJ30
Georges St Dublin 2, seeks head to partment in North Tipperary or Limerick Heo seeks permanent work share posi-
head transfer to Department of City for commuting and family reasons. tion (50%) with another HEO in any
civil service mobility update
The first phase of the Civil Service Mobility calibration. Applicants can view/request* their imately 17,000 participating staff members to
Scheme was launched on 13th November, placing on any waitlists applied for. submit a mobility application. The date for of-
2017. However offers of mobility did not begin * remote worker/absent on leave with no ac- fers of mobility has been postponed in order to
on 22nd March 2018 as expected. This date cess to self-service – contact the Central Mo- reconfigure the mobility system.
has been postponed in order to reconfigure the bility Team at mobility@peoplepoint.ie. Phase 1B will include the general Civil Serv-
mobility system. It is expected that an alert will * Non-HR Shared Services customer (AGS, ice grades of CO and EO for mobility within the
be issued to all staff members with information Oireachtas), please contact your Local HR. zone of Dublin. It is envisaged that Phase 1B
in advance of the new offer date. * Non-HRMS customer (IPS, OCO, NCCA) will be launched following a full analysis of the
The following transfer lists will continue to currently no mechanism to view or check plac- outcomes from Phase 1A of the scheme. This
operate until offers of mobility begin: ing on list. phase will launch at a later date. Fórsa expects
l The Central Transfer Lists; discussions on Phase 1B to start shortly.
l Organisations’ Internal Regional what is civil service Mobility? Phase 2 will include the general Civil Service
Transfer Lists; Civil Service Mobility is one of a number of grades of HEO, AO and AP. This phase will
l Head for Head Transfers. arrangements to be put in place to fulfil the re- launch at a later date.
This postponement will allow for legacy date quirements of Action 15 of the Civil Service Equivalent Professional and Technical
verifications to be completed. These verifica- Renewal Plan that calls to “Expand career and grades are not covered under early phases of
tions will now be processed in batches, rather mobility/transfer opportunities for staff across the scheme and consideration will be given to
than when an officer enters the top 10 on a geographic, organisational and sectoral mobility for these grades at a later date.
waitlist. boundaries”. Transfers advertised in CSQ will be phased
Automatic email notifications will be issued out as the mobility scheme takes over, except
to officers in the current batch of applications when will the scheme launch? for the HEO grade who are due to be in the
being processed. These notifications will indi- The mobility scheme is being developed for next phase of mobility.
cate that action is required by the applicant. the Civil Service on a phased basis: CO’s and EO’s will be governed by the
Please note: the window for applying a Phase 1A is for the general Civil Service scheme which takes over from the head to
legacy date to a mobility application closed on grades of CO and EO for mobility between head transfers generally sought on this page.
8th February 2018. zones (all zones) and within zones (excluding
During the legacy verification process, the Zone 46 – Dublin) – this phase successfully
mobility waitlist positions may change due to launched on 13th November 2017 to approx-
CSQ Summer 2018You can also read
