THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) has said it wants to be able to redeploy staff on a compulsory basis up to 60km from their current workplace, where necessary.
In a document prepared for a meeting with trade unions yesterday, the HSE said the reconfiguration or rationalisation of services, the introduction of service improvement initiatives and the cost-efficient deployment of resources would all require the redeployment of staff to meet service requirements.
“The HSE will require maximum co-operation from employees to redeployment requests having regard to an employee’s professional level of competence,” it stated. The move represents the first compulsory redeployment arrangement to be introduced in the public sector.
The Department of Finance told public sector unions at the start of the summer it considered provision for the redeployment of staff to be essential to facilitate the departure of personnel under new early retirement and career-break schemes, while maintaining services. However, it is understood trade unions representing 111,000 staff in the health sector were yesterday extremely unhappy with the redeployment protocol document and maintained it did not represent a basis for engagement.
The secretary of the health sector group of unions, Kevin Callinan of Impact, told The Irish Timeslast night there had been "a robust exchange" at the meeting and health service management would consider their views.
Further talks on the proposal are to take place next Thursday.
In its protocol on redeployment given to trade unions, the HSE said this arrangement may be required: to meet organisational and operational needs, including reconfiguration of services; where, as a result of organisational restructuring, the individual’s job no longer exists in its current format; for developing skills /competencies required for evolving patient/service user needs within the health service; matching of employee skills and competencies with specific organisational requirements; to meet staffing and service imperatives and to respond to service priorities and urgent work demands.
The protocol said redeployment would generally be permitted to a location/service within a geographical area of 60km from the employee’s work base. Decisions on redeploying staff would take account of the employee’s home address and access to public transport.
The document said that where redeployment was necessary arising from a restructuring in the method of service delivery and having regard to staffing/service imperatives “staff will be required to co-operate with all such initiatives”.
The HSE said it would inform trade unions in advance of all initiatives which may require redeployment; however, it wanted consultation to be completed within a three-week period. “Consultation between the HSE and staff representatives will cover the nature of the changes involved, the reasons for the changes, the main foreseeable impacts on employees and proposed implementation dates.
“The consultations will be approached in a partnership manner and will be concluded in time to allow the changes to be introduced by the proposed implementation date. In the main a period of 21 days will be allocated for the consultation process.”
Following a redeployment decision, employees would be informed at least 14 days in advance of the move. There would also be an appeals mechanism under HSE grievance procedures.