THE Civil and Public Service Union has decided to lift some of its most crippling sanctions at the departments of Agriculture and Social Welfare because of progress made in talks on staffing and pay.
As a result, State payments for 130,000 farmers and thousands of people experiencing delays in obtaining short term social welfare benefits will be speeded up. The dispute was also holding up sales of pedigree cattle and posed a health threat to the national herd.
The CPSU decision has been welcomed by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, and by the farming organisations. However, the Irish Farmers' Association's deputy president, Mr Michael Slattery again condemned "wildcat strike action" when the beef industry was "reeling" from the BSE crisis. He said the IFA would demand a no strike clause in future national pay agreements.
The president of Macra na Feirme, Mr Joe Healy, said the Ministers should heed the lessons of this strike and proceed with, some urgency to review administration procedures within his Department".
It is expected to take up to six weeks to clear the backlog of, work that has built up in the Department due to the CPSU overtime ban and refusal to cooperate on new procedures.
Test results on cattle, held up in State laboratories and district veterinary offices, will now be released. CPSU staff will also cooperate with the new Bovine TB testing procedures and issuing identity tags.
At the Department of Social Welfare, CPSU members will cooperate on bringing in a new computer system to speed up short term benefit payments.
The union lifted its action at the Department of Education's exams centre in Athlone a month ago in return for intensive talks, due to end tomorrow.
The decision to lift the most crippling industrial action in Agriculture and Social Welfare is a clear indication that considerable progress is being made in the talks.