Government agreed side deals with unions as part of pay talks

The Government concluded a series of side deals with trade unions as part of the process that led to the proposed new Lansdowne Road agreement on public service pay last week.

The side deals, which are technically known as “chairman’s notes”, deal with issues raised by trade unions across the Civil Service, health sector, local government and education areas, among others.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform refused to release any details of the side agreements, although some have been highlighted by unions to their members.

In the health sector, for example, there is a side deal that the controversial annual registration fee for nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Board will be frozen at €100 for the lifetime of the Lansdowne Road agreement which runs to 2018

The Irish Times understands that many of the chairman's notes, which are held by the Labour Relations Commission, propose various industrial relations processes to deal with grievances raised by trade unions.

There is provision for a two- month engagement on nurse/midwife management structures in the health sector while a claim by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) for an interim payment for the post of director of nursing in hospital groups is to be referred to adjudication with this process being completed within 21 days.

There is also to be a three-month process starting immediately on claims by nurses for improved incremental credit and increased payments for fourth years with this proces .

The INMO told members there was also provision for an intensive three -month engagement with employers in an independently chaired process which would seek to finalise all matters that would arise, including the restoration of the time and one-sixth premium (payment)/and the additional staffing resource necessary, arising from the agreed transfer of some previously medical tasks to nurses.

It is understood the Irish Medical Organisation secured a "chairman's note" which limits re-deployment for consultants within hospital groups.

In the local authority area, there is to be a review of rates for general operatives in Dublin.

In the Civil Service, a review is to be carried out to determine whether the abolition of flexi time for assistant principal officers - a management grade -- had had an impact on the number of people seeking promotions.

Former community welfare officers who were re-deployed to the Department of Social Protection from the HSE will see their pay, leave and working hours brought into line with Civi lService staff from the beginning of next year.

Plans by the Government under its Civil Service renewal plan to making all recruitment at assistant principal level subject to open competition is to go to arbitrationon foot of objections from middle ranking civil servants.

The facility to carry over 1.5 days per “flexi work” period in the Civil Service is to be restored for a six-month pilot test period.

In the education sector, the trade union Impact secured an agreement that its claim for the pay of school secretaries employed by school boards be brought into line with those employed directly by the Department of Education is to be referred to a new process to be completed by mid September.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said in a statement: “While it is a normal part of the complex industrial relations processes within the Irish public service that sectoral industrial relations issues are discussed between sectoral management and trade unions, (the ) Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has not been alerted to any potentially significant costs to pay or non-pay budgets arising from those discussions. Any such costs will be dealt with by this department in the normal course as part of the estimates.”