Local Government Divisional Report - 07/09

IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Report 2007-2009

www.qualitypublicservices.ie

Front cover photo Almost a third of IMPACT’s entire membership attended the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ massive demonstration against the Government’s handling of the recession in February 2009.

Photo courtesy of the Sunday Tribune.

IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Report 2007-2009

www.qualitypublicservices.ie

Contents Organisation..............................................................................................4 Divisional executive committee ....................................................................................4 Divisional council..............................................................................................................4 Organisation and recruitment ......................................................................................4 Local government partnership ......................................................................................4

Pay and incomes ......................................................................................5 Towards 2016 transitional agreement ........................................................................5 Crisis talks ..........................................................................................................................5 Social solidarity ................................................................................................................6 Public service levy ............................................................................................................6 Benchmarking ..................................................................................................................7 Low pay ..............................................................................................................................7 Senior public service pay ................................................................................................8 Pensions ..............................................................................................................................8 Travel and subsistence ....................................................................................................9

Jobs and services ....................................................................................10 OECD report on Irish public services ..........................................................................10 Funding and jobs ..........................................................................................................10 Public service staffing ..................................................................................................11 Workers’ rights ................................................................................................................11

Sectoral and vocational developments............................................12 Education..........................................................................................................................12 Environmental technicians ..........................................................................................13 Fire services ......................................................................................................................13 Internal auditors ............................................................................................................13 Libraries ............................................................................................................................14 Social workers..................................................................................................................14 Veterinary inspectors ....................................................................................................14

Appendices ..............................................................................................15 Salary scales ....................................................................................................................16 Travel and subsistence ..................................................................................................18 Vocational groups ..........................................................................................................19

IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Organisation Divisional executive committee

Organisation and recruitment

The following were elected to IMPACT’s Local Government, Education and Local Services divisional executive committee (DEC) at the 2007 divisional conference: Alice Hennessy (Cathaoirleach), Tom Murray (Leas-Cathaoirleach), Caroline Degraeve Kane (third divisional representative on IMPACT’ s central executive committee), Frank Brannigan, Tom Browne, Eugene Farrelly, Martin Flanagan, Ray Kennedy, Jerry King, Josephine McCarthy, Joe Sherlock and Cait Shirran.

Over 3,000 new members have been recruited to the division in the last two years, net of losses due to resignations and retirements. This substantial achievement has been the result of committed work from branches, the DEC and full-time staff. The DEC has maintained a strong focus on organisational enhancement with a specific focus on recruitment, which has been an agenda item at each of its monthly meetings.

In April 2008, the DEC held a seminar on recruitment and organisation, which examined the best models for organisation and recruitment within the division. A number of branches have undertaken focussed recruitment activities within their area.

Caroline Degraeve Kane resigned from the DEC in January 2008 to take up a position with the union Mandate, and her position was filled by Pat Considine as he was the only unelected candidate in the 2007 elections to the DEC. Alice Hennessy was elected honorary secretary of IMPACT’s central executive committee in May 2008 and Tom Murray became Cathaoirleach of the DEC. Martin Flanagan was then elected Leas Cathaoirleach and Patricia Whelan was elected to the DEC at the divisional council.

The DEC extends its warm thanks to everyone who has participated in the affairs of the division over the last two years, particularly branch officers, activists and committee members who give up their time on behalf of their colleagues, and to the staff in IMPACT offices in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Sligo for their courtesy and efficiency.

Divisional council The DEC has laid great emphasis on the importance of the divisional council as an effective means of communication with branches. To that end a very successful residential meeting of the council took place in January 2009.

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The division’s national branches are now firmly established and are responsible for significant increases in membership. In the Dublin area, the Dublin Strategic Local Authority Network (DSLAN) has been successfully established to provide enhanced communication and support in the Dublin local authority branches. The DEC is monitoring the progress of DSLAN with a view to replicating it in other appropriate regions.

Local government partnership Peter Nolan, Alice Hennessy and Tom Murray represent IMPACT on the Local Authority National Partnership Advisory Group (LANPAG), which is responsible for overseeing the operation of partnership in local authorities. LANPAG’s 2008–2011 strategic plan has been advanced and IMPACT has used its ‘handling significant change protocol’ as a framework to defend jobs and services during the current economic crisis (see the section on ‘jobs and services’ below). LANPAG continues to support a number of local projects agreed in local partnership committees and runs the very successful ‘return to learning’ project, which enhances the union’s support for lifelong learning.

Report 2007-2009

Pay and incomes The performance verification group, which includes two union representatives including IMPACT’s national secretary, continued its role of ensuring that the modernisation agenda set out in Towards 2016 has been accomplished and all pay increases due under the first phase of Towards 2016 were paid to IMPACT members in the division. This was worth 10% in four phases between December 2006 and September 2008.

When the Government announced measures to control public spending in summer 2008, many business organisations, politicians and economic commentators called for the final 2.5% increase to be scrapped. But IMPACT strongly resisted this and the payment was made as agreed.

Towards 2016 transitional agreement Talks on the second phase of Towards 2016 began in April 2008 with unions seeking a deal that protected living standards from inflation, as well as a number of non-pay measures centred on workplace and representational rights. IMPACT also led public service unions in seeking a new system of public service pay determination, after the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body recommended no increases for most (see below). Employers’ body IBEC’s early call for a public service pay freeze was strongly rebutted by IMPACT in the talks and in the media.

In August 2008, the talks broke down over the pay terms and employer demands for stronger ‘inability to pay’ clauses. Negotiations resumed in September and resulted in a transitional agreement with pay increases worth 6% over 21 months, with an extra 0.5% for those earning less than €11 an hour. The deal, which included an 11-month public service pay pause and a threemonth pay pause in private and commercial semi-state companies, was accepted by a margin of 91%-9% in a national ballot of IMPACT members. The Department of Finance told public service employers that they

must pay the first phase, worth 3.5% from 1st September 2009, out of existing budgets.

During the negotiations, unions prevented IBEC’s attempts to massively strengthen the Towards 2016 ‘inability to pay' provisions.

Crisis talks The sudden and rapid worsening of the economy and public finances at the end of 2008 led to a resumption of meetings between the social partners in December.

The objective was to agree an approach to economic recovery.

Although the budgetary crisis was not caused by public servants or public service pay, ICTU economists acknowledged that up to 20% of Ireland’s tax had become dependent on the finance, property and construction sectors, which had collapsed leaving a massive hole in Government income. The problem quickly worsened as growing unemployment rapidly reduced the tax take even further and increased spending on social welfare and related medical and other costs. At the beginning of 2009, therefore, there was broad agreement on the need to save as much as €16 billion in public spending between 2009 and 2013 in order to restore the public finances. But there was no agreement on how this should be done. The situation in both the public finances and the wider economy had substantially worsened as this report went to print.

Entering the talks, employers’ body IBEC said it believed the pay deal was defunct while the Government was focused exclusively on the need to save €2 billion in public spending in 2009; a saving it wanted to make predominantly from payroll costs.

From the outset, IMPACT resisted the Government’s preferred option of a 10% across-the-board cut in public service pay and made clear that it would not negotiate cuts in core pay or pension benefits.

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IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Social solidarity

Public service levy

United behind an Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) strategy, IMPACT insisted that a ‘social solidarity’ framework for economic recovery must be agreed before unions would discuss specific measures to deal with the crisis in public finances. As a result, the social partners agreed a ‘Framework Pact for Stabilisation, Social Solidarity and Reform’ at the end of January 2009. The main points of the framework, which included all the core elements of ICTU’s demands, are summarised in the box below.

IMPACT’s adamant insistence that core pay and pension benefits be preserved led the Government to consider other measures, including additional staff contributions towards the cost of pensions, deferral of Towards 2016 pay increases, and changes in other areas like travel and subsistence, premium payments, and overtime arrangements. Meanwhile, there was almost no progress on tangible measures to implement the framework agreed between the social partners, which was to have delivered protection for the most vulnerable and a higher contribution to economic recovery from those most able to pay.

Framework Pact for Stabilisation, Social Solidarity and Reform MAIN POINTS G A commitment to a social partnership approach G A commitment that all sectors of society must contribute in accordance with their ability to do so, including sheltered sectors of the economy like professional services G A commitment that the most vulnerable – including the low paid, unemployed and those on social welfare – would be insulated from the worst effects of the recession G A commitment to introduce controls on senior executives’ remuneration G Stabilisation of the banking system and a Government commitment to seek to assist people who get into difficulties with their mortgages – plus a new statutory code of practice on mortgage arrears and home repossessions G Measures to support the unemployed and help them back into work G A commitment to a fair and equitable spread of necessary adjustments in public spending G A fair and equitable approach to tax changes, with a higher proportion falling on those with higher incomes, which would be progressive and consistent with the social solidarity approach G A reform of price regulation in areas like energy G A re-prioritisation of capital spending towards labour-intensive activities G A commitment that the social partners would address the crisis in private pensions G Recognition of the need to progressively reduce the level of Exchequer borrowing over the next five years in order to reduce the general Government deficit “to below 3% by 2013 through an appropriate combination of expenditure and taxation adjustments”* G A re-affirmation of Towards 2016 commitments to legislation to strengthen workers’ rights and protections G A reaffirmation of the Towards 2016 commitment to use the social partnership Health Forum to implement health reforms. * As the economy and public finances worsened after this framework was agreed, ICTU sought a re-scheduling of this timetable to avoid rapid depression of economic activity and a devastating effect on public services.

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Report 2007-2009

The talks finally collapsed without agreement after Government officials presented unions with a proposal for a public service levy averaging 7.5% of gross earnings, minus tax relief, across the public service. The Government proposal also included the deferral of the public service Towards 2016 pay increases and a 25% across-the-board reduction in travel and subsistence rates. IMPACT then led a massive campaign of political lobbying, which was supported by other public service unions and involved hundreds of IMPACT members and others. This culminated in national newspaper adverts and a mass lobby of TDs’ constituencies in the middle of February.

The union also put a massive mobilisation effort into ICTU’s national demonstration on 21st February, when over a third of the union’s members participated in an event that attracted well over 120,000 protesters. Four days later, almost all ICTU unions including IMPACT announced that they would ballot their members for industrial action over the Government’s approach to the economic crisis, including the levy, and the Government and employers’ decision to abandon the national agreement. Unions from both the public and private sectors agreed that the industrial action would begin with a one-day stoppage on 30th March.

However, the Government rushed through legislation to impose the public service levy, which became effective on 1st March 2009.

As this report was being finalised, ICTU’s 30th March stoppage was deferred after its Executive Council accepted an invitation from An Taoiseach Brian Cowen to re-enter talks aimed at reaching an agreed national partnership framework for dealing with the economic crisis. The Taoiseach’s invitation followed extensive behind-the-scenes work by senior ICTU representatives, including IMPACT general secretary Peter McLoone who insisted that changes to the pension levy must form part of the negotiation. IMPACT also said it wanted an agreed framework to deal with budget shortfalls in various sectors of the public service and state agencies.

Just prior to this, IMPACT’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) decided that it had no basis to sanction participation in the 30th March stoppage after its members voted in favour of industrial action by a margin of 65% in favour and 35% against, which was marginally short of the two-thirds majority required under the union’s Rule 25, which deals with industrial action ballots.

Benchmarking The second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body (PSBB) was published in December 2007 and recommended pay increases for just 15 of the 109 grades it examined. A detailed report on this was included in IMPACT’s 2006-2008 biennial report. The PSBB report was greeted with widespread disappointment by most of IMPACT members in the division, which had specific responsibility for two ‘A’ list submissions – special needs assistants and local authority senior executive officers. The division also made joint submissions in relation to grades III, V and VII in local authorities, education and health. Senior executive officers within the local authority service were awarded a 5% increase and some social workers were awarded an 8% increase.

The union has rejected the methodology used by the PSBB including the fact that its 12% valuation of public service pensions was applied to all grades including special needs assistants, whose pensions rely substantially on social welfare entitlements. The Towards 2016 transitional agreement conceded IMPACT's demand for a review of the benchmarking process to address union concerns about the operation and methodology of the first and second benchmarking exercises.

IMPACT also sought payment of the recommended benchmarking awards, which led to the Towards 2016 transitional agreement saying that the first 5% of the awards would be paid with effect from 1st September 2008 and that the implementation of the remainder would be considered after 2010. However, the payment has not been sanctioned and the Department of Finance has said that it has no plans to sanction payment in the current economic and fiscal circumstances.

Low pay Unions are resisting attempts by employers’ representatives to reduce the statutory minimum wage, which was last increased to €8.65 in July 2007. The Towards 2016 transitional agreement, which has not been implemented, included an extra 0.5% increase for workers earning €11 an hour or less.

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IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Senior public service pay Details of the 42nd report of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration were included in IMPACT’s 20062008 biennial report. The first phase of the recommended awards was paid in September 2007. The second and third phases, due in September 2008 and March 2009, have not yet been sanctioned.

Pensions IMPACT’S 2006-2008 biennial report outlined the developing problem of funded defined benefit schemes in the private sector and commercial state companies. The Pensions Board has estimated that 90 per cent of these schemes are in significant deficit.

ICTU has prioritised this issue in talks with the Government and has demanded a pension’s protection fund to deal with insolvencies and new standards and criteria for schemes with ongoing deficits. These negative developments have created a difficult overall climate for addressing IMPACT’s superannuation issues including the funding of pensions in the state-funded community and voluntary sectors.

IMPACT’s 2006-2008 biennial report also outlined the outcome of the joint union-management working group that dealt with issues arising from the Commission on Public Service Pensions. A revised method of reckoning variable pensionable allowances for pension purposes was subsequently implemented.

Other agreed recommendations concerning the spouses and children’s scheme have been held up by the Department of Finance and it is unclear when they will be implemented.

The Department has rejected the union’s demand for refunds of contributions where over 40 years’ have been paid, saying they will not agree to any change in the existing practice because:

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G Most public servants make explicit pension contributions towards their main scheme benefits.

Pensionable salary for these public servants is generally 5% higher than for their counterparts who do not make contributions. A refund as sought would have the effect of increasing the differential between the two groups involved.

G The value of superannuation benefits continues to increase beyond the 40-year threshold because increments, promotions and pay increases that occur after 40 years service are reflected in the pension and superannuation lump sum ultimately payable on retirement.

G Unlike public service spouses’ and children’s pension schemes, where the costs are generally shared between the employers and employees, the employee contribution in the main scheme represents just a small element in the overall cost of providing benefits. The second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body valued the employers’ costs of public service pensions at 20% of salary, with contributory employees paying around 5% on average.

G The claim for refund of contributions has to be placed in the context of the overall imperative of securing long-run sustainability and affordability in pension provision in Ireland, as set out in the recent green paper on pensions.

Report 2007-2009

Travel and subsistence Changes to the motor mileage and subsistence rates are normally negotiated in the civil service and then applied in a slightly modified form in other parts of the public service. The Division has been pursuing outstanding payments in relation to travel and subsistence dating back to 2008. These payments have been approved in the context of an existing commitment to review the anomaly between civil service and local authority rates.

While there have been no recent discussions on subsistence rates, a meeting between civil service unions and the Department of Finance took place in September 2008 where the Department outlined the results of an exercise it had undertaken in relation to the prevailing motor mileage formula. If adopted, this approach would have reduced the rates by 4.2% in the small car category, 4.63% in the medium car category and 1.39% in the large car category. The exercise was based on bestselling cars following vehicle registration tax changes, and only factored in the effect of the car price changes. The Department said Government policy of encouraging the use of greener cars should be reflected in the construction of the motor travel rates.

IMPACT countered that the formula was meant to have regard to vehicles actually purchased and that 2009 budgetary changes might also affect car prices. A further meeting was held in January 2009 where it emerged that the cost of small and large category cars in the bestselling list had dropped by up to â‚Ź3,000, while the cost of middle range cars had increased slightly. Taken with falling fuel prices, the Department signalled that these price falls would lead to a significant drop in the mileage rate.

Independently of this process, in March 2009 the Government imposed revised rates that cut payments by 25% across the board as part of its measures to reduce public spending. IMPACT has since lodged a claim for a review of travel and subsistence rates under the standard criteria.

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IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Jobs and services OECD report on Irish public services

Funding and jobs

In April 2008 the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report on Ireland’s public services, which found that they were delivering high quality services at a relatively low price. The study debunked the myth that public service pay and employment are out of control and reported that the Irish public service is doing “more with less” than other OECD countries, relative to the size of the overall economy and workforce, because public spending and employment had not kept up with population and economic growth in the last decade. It found that, compared to other OECD countries, Ireland had a relatively small public service given the size of its economy and labour force.

The deteriorating economic situation has had a very severe impact on local government finances and education services. Reductions in the local government fund and the rate base of local authorities, coupled with a major slowdown in development, have created serious budget difficulties for local authorities.

More than 1,000 temporary workers are threatened with job losses in the local government sector.

Similarly, budget cuts throughout the education system have imposed major challenges on the union, as well as its members who are trying to maintain decent services.

It also said that too many arms length agencies had been set up, which led to fragmentation and reduced transparency, and warned against the centralization of human resource management. It recommended a “careful approach” to performance-related pay and called for more mobility in recruitment between the civil and public service.

The Local Authority National Partnership Advisory Group (LANPAG) made a submission to the OECD review group. It argued that workplace changes had successfully been supported by the partnership process in Irish local government.

In November 2008, the Government published the report of a task force set up to make recommendations on the implementation the OECD report and established a group to make proposals on the reallocation and rationalisation of public service staff. This fourperson ‘special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes’ is to “examine the current expenditure programmes in each Department and make recommendations for reducing public service numbers” with the aim of eliminating the budget deficit by 2011. It is chaired by economist Colm McCarthy and is due to make a final report to the Minister for Finance by the end of June 2009. Its terms of reference do not include pay or pension issues.

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Following the July 2008 Government announcement of a 3% payroll expenditure cut in all parts of the public service, an IMPACT initiative led to the Local Authority National Partnership Advisory Group (LANPAG) being asked to establish formal structures under the ‘handling significant change’ protocol to tackle the challenges facing the sector. This was later expanded to deal with all reductions in expenditure facing local authorities. There was an inconsistent response to this approach throughout the country. Some IMPACT branches have made progress in preventing job losses while others have experienced little serious engagement from management. The DEC is keeping the process continuously under review.

Report 2007-2009

Public service staffing

Workers’ rights

Just before this report went to press in March 2009, the Department of Finance issued draconian employment controls in the public services, which included the following measures:

IMPACT’s 2006-2008 biennial report outlined the comprehensive new package of workplace protections agreed in the Towards 2016 national agreement. These were further strengthened in the Towards 2016 transitional agreement and, although the agreement has not been implemented, ICTU is still pressing for legislation in a number of areas including the prevention of victimisation of trade union members and inducements aimed at forcing people to leave their union. The transitional agreement also conceded ICTU’s demand for a review to consider the legal and other steps required to enable collective bargaining mechanisms established under previous agreements to operate as intended.

G A general moratorium on recruitment, promotions and acting appointments to almost all grades G The application of this general moratorium to fixed-term posts and to the renewal of fixed-term contracts G The requirement of prior sanction from the finance minister, on an “exceptional basis,” for filling of any post covered by the moratorium G Any such filling to be achieved through redeployment.

In education, special needs assistant posts will be based on the staffing schedule for 2009-2010 and “other existing policies for determining teaching/SNA numbers.” The union is seeking clarification of this.

The Department of Finance circular that implements the new policy says there will be separate correspondence on arrangements for consultation with unions on the issue of redeployment.

IMPACT immediately sought clarification of how it was proposed to interpret and implement the circular and expressed strong concerns about the negative impact it would have on services and staff. The union reiterated its long-standing rejection of the blunt instrument of recruitment embargoes and the blanket non-renewal of temporary contracts, which could devastate services and substantially increase unemployment. The union had already sought an agreed framework for dealing with public service recruitment and staffing issues in the national talks that resumed in March 2009 and was continuing to pursue this as this report went to print.

In April 2008, IMPACT won an important case on fixed– term workers’ rights in the European Court of Justice, which established that fixed-term public servants are entitled to the same benefits as their full-time colleagues in areas including pay and pensions. A number of similar cases have been fought and won in local government.

In the summer of 2008, an EU agreement led to the adoption of a European directive on agency workers which, once transposed into domestic legislation, will see agency workers entitled to the same pay and conditions as permanent staff. Unions across Europe have fought for these protections for years and ICTU is pressing for the directive to be implemented quickly in Ireland, even though EU rules give the Government until December 2011 to transpose it into Irish law.

Trade unions also won an important victory in December 2008 when the European Parliament rejected proposed amendments to working time laws.

Prior to the vote IMPACT wrote to all Irish MEPs urging them to reject the proposed changes, which would have led to weaker protections for workers in Ireland and elsewhere. The changes would have preserved an existing opt-out, which was known to have led to workers doing excessive hours in Britain and elsewhere. It would also have brought adverse changes to the way on-call working time is determined as well as extending the period over which employers could average working time.

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IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Sectoral and vocational developments Education The profile of members in education has been greatly enhanced by the new national branches and the union held a successful national seminar on educational inequality in January 2009. The Special Needs Assistants’ (SNA) branch and School Secretaries’ branch have undertaken joint training courses and subsequently worked to put better branch and regional representative structures in place and increase membership.

Since their establishment, membership of the School Secretaries’ branch has more than doubled to over 600 members. SNA branch membership has also doubled and now stands at over 3,500, with new applications continuing apace.

Both branch committees draw their membership from a representative geographic spread. The SNA branch has established a regional committee structure which feeds into the main branch committee. Both participated successfully in the 2008 IMPACT biennial conference where the school secretaries’ branch had a particularly good conference that highlighted their national campaign to improve pay and conditions.

IMPACT achieved a major breakthrough in the school secretaries’ campaign in the Towards 2016 transitional agreement when it won a commitment to a forum to discuss school secretaries' and caretakers' pay and conditions. This included agreement that there would be early talks on a minimum rate and agreement has been reached on an initial survey of existing terms and conditions.

The SNAs have built on the work of the former vocational group to consolidate agreed terms and conditions. Proposals have been made to deal with difficulties regarding incremental credit for previous service and to establish a panel system to address job losses on a localised basis.

Membership has also increased in the union’s VEC branch, where negotiations with the education department resulted in the underpinning of a sectoral agreement on contracts of indefinite duration, to the

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benefit of up to 200 members. Separate negotiations resulted in agreement to fill one-fifth of common recruitment pool posts by open competition and a Labour Relations Commission (LRC) process saw the appointment of an agreed independent chair of the review of the Rochford report agreements.

A number of individual cases were also brought to the LRC resulting in favourable recommendations on issues like incremental credit. Agreed proposals from a process chaired by a senior LRC official on a longstanding dispute between IMPACT, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland and the education department have yet to emerge. Separate discussions with the department resulted in a draft circular granting increments to acting IMPACT grades.

Governmental budget cuts since September 2008 resulted in the loss of some temporary jobs, predominantly in Kerry education services and County Dublin VEC. These remain under discussion.

A new Institutes of Technology branch was established early in 2008 and, following a series of workplace visits and recruitment campaigns, membership quickly rose to almost 1,200 members by the end of the year. Since then a campus-wide acting-up agreement has been reached with IOTI and implemented. A revised grievance and disciplinary procedure was agreed with IOTI and DIT, and agreement was reach on the one-in-five requirement to fill common recruitment pool posts by open competition.

Discussions with the IOTI resulted the granting of increments to staff who are acting-up, and discussions aimed at replicating the VEC circular on contracts of indefinite duration are at an advanced stage. An IMPACT claim rejecting the outcome of the McGuinness report on the grading of sports and societies officers was rejected at the Labour Court early in 2009.

A review of the National Partnership Forum was conducted.

Report 2007-2009

A new School Completion Programme branch was established in 2007 and agreement on regrading of coordinators with credit for prior service was reached. A number of individual cases concerning incremental credit and other matters have been taken to the LRC. A claim for access to the public service superannuation scheme for schools completion staff is under discussion with the Department. In October 2008, the branch made presentations to the DĂĄil Committee on Education resulting in an easing of proposed cutbacks for schools completion projects.

A new National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) branch was established in 2008 and it participated in an independent review, which recommended the upgrade of certain administration posts. This was rejected by NEWB management. The branch took issue with management’s refusal to engage on budgetary cutbacks in late 2008, resulting in the renewal of regular industrial relations meetings. A number of individual cases were taken to the LRC, as were claims for the promulgation of the statutory superannuation scheme and the payment of a working from home allowance.

Fire services Revised staffing structures for senior fire officers have been successfully implemented in each local authority.

The union has met the Local Government Management Services Board regarding its grave concerns about the obligations of fire personnel with respect to Health and Safety Authority guidelines. The union is awaiting a response from the employers.

Internal auditors The Internal Auditors’ vocational group has been pursuing a claim for career development. The group has commissioned an independent report setting out the necessity for local authorities to have access to qualified internal auditors. The vocational group continues to pursue its claim.

Environmental technicians IMPACT has been extremely frustrated in relation to its claims regarding access to promotion for environmental staff and anomalies in relation to their duties throughout the country. The matter has been referred to the Labour Relations Commission.

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IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Libraries

Veterinary inspectors

IMPACT’s Libraries vocational group re-established itself as the Non-Professional Library Staff vocational group with the approval of the union’s central executive committee. The group has actively been considering the position arising from the creation of a non-professional grade V post within the library service. Meetings have been held with the Local Government Management Services Board arising from a dispute over the criteria for eligibility for promotion to this grade. The union believes candidates for this post must have suitable library experience as set out in the terms of the agreement that led to the creation of the grade. The union also has concerns in relation to the potential inter-transferability of general service staff with library staff which could lead to the imposition of unsocial hours on general service staff without their agreement. The union has agreed to refer the dispute to the Labour Relations Commission.

Veterinary inspectors are seeking a meeting with the Local Government Management Services Board in respect of a number of issues including access to added years and the application of contracts of indefinite duration to staff. The vocational group is also seeking a revision of the application of the 1% ‘efficiency and effectiveness’ allowance.

Social workers The Social Workers’ vocational group met the Local Government Management Services Board about their grading claim and agreement was reached on qualifications and particulars for senior social work positions. The employers pointed to the financial difficulties currently being experienced by local authorities but said they had no objections to individual local authorities making upgradings subject to the agreement of the manager. The overall claim has been referred to the Labour Relations Commission and the union is pursuing an equality case in relation to the application of added years for social workers and other grades.

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Report 2007-2009

Appendices

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IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Appendix one - salary scales Clerical/administrative

Technical grades

Figures current 1st September 2008 unless otherwise indicated.

Technician Grade II

24,408 - 25,555 - 26,697 - 27,844 - 28,992 - 30,136 31,279 - 32,419 - 33,568 - 34,710 - 35,858 - 38,021 39,556 1

Grade 4 Assistant Staff Officer, Senior Library Assistant, Revenue Collector (national grade), Storekeeper Grade B 29,825 - 31,995 - 34,193 - 35,831 - 37,411 - 39,548 41,093 - 42,663 - 44,106 - 45,556 1

28,935 - 30,022 - 31,123 - 32,215 - 33,292 - 34,396 35,475 - 36,584 - 37,680 - 38,719 - 39,873 - 41,230 42,575 1

Grade 3 Clerical Officer, Library Assistant

2

Grade 5 Staff Officer, Assistant Librarian, Legal Assistant, Storekeeper Grade A 1

42,663 - 44,080 - 45,498 - 46,916 - 48,333 - 49,975 51,616 2

Grade 6 Senior Staff Officer, Executive Librarian, Senior Legal Assistant, Clerk of Works, Building Inspector

2

Technician Grade I 39,873 - 40,567 - 41,478 - 42,390 - 43,285 - 44,193 45,020 - 46,549 - 48,084 1

2

Executive Technician 42,845 - 43,966 - 45,114 - 46,256 - 47,403 - 48,544 50,193 - 51,838 1

2

Senior Executive Technician 1

45,699 - 46,679 - 48,020 - 50,291 - 51,662 - 53,567 55,481 2

Chief Technician 47,289 - 48,470 - 49,861 - 51,255 - 52,656 - 53,905 55,177 - 56,407 - 57,628 - 59,758 - 61,898 1

2

1

47,675 - 48,869 - 50,312 - 53,023 - 54,642 - 56,656 58,682 2

Grade 7 Administrative Officer, Town Clerk with population of over 5,000 50,014 - 51,283 - 52,766 - 54,254 - 55,744 - 57,071 58,432 - 59,751 - 61,064 - 63,321 - 65,587 1

2

Housing Welfare Officer 39,673 - 41,673 - 43,768 - 45,842 - 47,898 - 49,973 52,051 - 53,601 - 55,170 - 56,271 1

Social Worker

Senior Executive Officer 68,839 - 70,568 - 73,329 - 76,092 - 78,860 - 81,598 84,353 - 87,480 - 90,595 1

Local government welfare and social worker

2

38,049 - 40,098 - 42,224 - 44,346 - 46,450 - 48,602 50,722 - 52,349 - 53,978 - 55,059 1

Professionally Qualified Housing Welfare Officer/Social Worker 45,819 - 48,099 - 50,379 - 52,663 - 54,940 - 57,219 59,500 - 60,692

Town clerks

1

Population of over 15,000 68,839 - 70,568 - 73,329 - 76,092 - 78,860 - 81,598 84,353 - 87,480 - 90,595 1

2

Population less than 5,000 1

47,675 - 48,869 - 50,312 - 53,023 - 54,642 - 56,656 58,682 2

Population of over 5,000 50,014 - 51,283 - 52,766 - 54,254 - 55,744 - 57,071 58,432 - 59,751 - 61,064 - 63,321 - 65,587 1

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2

1 2

= After three years satisfactory service at the maximum. = After six years satisfactory service at the maximum.

Report 2007-2009

Engineer grades

Management grades

County Engineer

Dublin City Manager 1

84,298 - 87,427 - 90,550 - 93,677 - 96,803 - 100,092 103,377

202,461

Senior Engineer

171,313

78,581 - 80,508 - 82,427 - 84,352 - 86,275 - 88,206 91,111 - 94,019

Cork City Manager and County Managers in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin County Councils

2

1

2

Senior Executive Engineer 66,514 - 68,616 - 70,719 - 72,819 - 74,926 - 77,025 79,140 - 81,796 - 84,446 1

Cork County Manager

157,967

2

Executive Engineer 49,710 - 51,586 - 53,464 - 55,345 - 57,226 - 59,105 60,985 - 62,857 - 64,745 - 66,619 - 68,780 - 70,944 1

2

Assistant Engineer 42,831 - 44,699 - 46,552 - 48,410 - 50,274 - 52,130 53,986 - 55,846 - 57,715 - 59,625 - 61,537 1

2

Graduate Engineer (range) 33,993 - 37,500 - 40,991

Level 4 County Managers, Managers of Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Limerick, Mayo, Wexford and Wicklow and Managers of Clare, Kilkenny, Limerick City, Louth, Meath, Tipperary SR, Westmeath 146,845

Level 5 City and County Managers and Dublin Assistant City Managers, Managers of Carlow, Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary NR, Waterford, Waterford City and Galway City 136,581

Other grades Rent Collector (salaried) 25,997 - 26,849 - 27,704 - 28,556 - 29,407 - 30,263 31,114 - 31,965 - 32,698 - 34,1281 -(bonus â‚Ź2,785)

Rent Collector (fee per cottage) 46.767

Assistant County Managers 93,231 - 97,470 - 101,708 - 105,945 - 110,183

County Secretary/Finance Officer/ Development Officer (ndc) 68,839 - 70,568 - 73,329 - 76,092 - 78,860 - 81,598 84,353 - 87,480 - 90,595 1

2

Branch Librarian (hourly rate) 12.471 - 13.058 - 13.641 - 14.227 - 14.814 - 15.398 15.982 - 16.565 - 17.152 - 17.735 - 18.322 - 19.427 20.211 1

City and County Librarian 64,237 - 65,851 - 68,426 - 71,005 - 73,588 - 76,143 78,715 - 81,631 - 84,538 1

2

1 2

= After three years satisfactory service at the maximum. = After six years satisfactory service at the maximum.

17

IMPACT Local Government, Education and Local Services Division

Appendix two – travel and subsistence rates Motor Mileage Rates Scale A Rates per mile effective from 12th March 2009 Official motor travel in a calendar year

Engine capacity up to 1200cc cent 64.54 34.91

up to 4,000 miles 4,000 miles and over

Engine capacity 1201 to 1500cc cent 76.94 39.14

Engine capacity 1501cc and over cent 97.95 47.36

Engine capacity up to 1200cc cent 40.11 21.70

Engine capacity 1201 to 1500cc cent 47.82 24.33

Engine capacity 1501cc and over cent 60.88 29.43

Engine capacity up to 1,200cc

Engine capacity 1,201 to 1,500cc

Engine capacity 1,501 and over

Annual allowance 858

Annual allowance 912

Annual allowance 1,015

cent 37.19 42.32

cent 45.91 48.29

cent 60.02 58.77

Engine capacity up to 1,200cc

Engine capacity 1,201 to 1,500cc

Engine capacity 1,501 and over

Annual allowance 858

Annual allowance 912

Annual allowance 1,015

cent 23.11 26.30

cent 28.53 30.01

cent 37.30 36.52

Rates per kilometre effective from 12th March 2009 Official motor travel in a calendar year up to 6,437km 6,438km and over

Scale B Rates per mile effective from 12th March 2009 Official motor travel in a calendar year

up to 4,000 miles 4,001miles and over

Rates per kilometre effective from 12th March 2009 Official motor travel in a calendar year

up to 6,437km 6,438km and over

Domestic subsistence rates Effective 12th March 2009 Class of Allowances

A B

18

Night Allowances Normal Rate 108.99 107.69

Reduced Rate 100.48 92.11

Detention Rate 54.48 53.87

Day Allowances 10 hours or more 33.61 33.61

5 hours but less than 10 hrs 13.71 13.71

Report 2007-2009

Appendix three – vocational groups Architects Frances Power, City Architects, Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, BA West, Fishamble Street, Dublin 8.

Archivists Michael Lynch, 25 River Walk, Oakpark, Tralee, Co Kerry.

Arts Officers Jenny Sherwin, Arts Officer, Wicklow County Council, Wicklow.

Branch Librarians Breda Bollard, Bohilla, Whitechurch Road, Dublin 14.

Fire Officers, Local Authority Eoin O’Donnell, Mallow Fire Station, Mallow, Co Cork.

Fire Officers, National Michael Forrest, Fire Station, Tralee, Co Kerry.

Grade IV-VII Patricia Mellsop, Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Heritage Officers Lorcan Scott, Carlow County Council, County Offices, Carlow.

Civil Defence Officers Edward Cooney, Civil Defence HQ, Heywood Road, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

IT Officers Marion O’Neill, Head of Information Systems, South Tipperary County Council, Emmet Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Clerks of Works Tim Callan, Laois County Council County Hall, Portlaoise, Co Laois.

Internal Auditors Michael Bermingham, Kildare County Council, St. Mary's, Naas, Co Kildare.

Community and Enterprise Development Officers Rena Cody, Waterford County Council, Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

Library Assistants/Senior Library Assistants Angela Reilly, Monaghan County Library, The Diamond, Clones, Co Monaghan.

County and City Librarians Donal Tinney, County Library, Sligo.

Museum Curators Liam Bradley, Monaghan County Museum, Monaghan Town, Co Monaghan.

Directors of Regional Authorities John Byrne, Director, Mid-East Regional Authority, County Buildings, Station Road, Wicklow.

Planners Alison Scott, Planning Department, Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, Dublin 8.

Education Centres Grainne Haughney, Drumcondra Education Centre, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

Environmental Workers Antoin Kiely, Limerick County Council, Limerick.

Estate Managers Gerrry Farrell, 26 Ard Aoibhinn, Athenry, Co Galway.

Executive Librarians Tony Cox, Donore, Multifarnham.

Co Westmeath.

Directors of Finance Peter Scully, Laois County Council, County Hall, Portlaoise.

Fire Officers, Chief Finian Joyce, Chief Fire Officer, Leitrim County Council, Leitrim.

Revenue Collectors Sean O’Reilly, Leitir, Bailieborough, Co Cavan.

Social Workers Pat Richardson, Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, Dublin 8.

Solicitors Thomas J O’Donohoe, 7 Pollnarooma West, Knocknacarra, Galway.

Local Authority Storekeepers Sean McHugh, Sligo County Council, Riverside, Sligo.

Technicians John Menton, Westmeath County Council, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

Town Clerks David Coleman, Tipperary UDC, Town Clerk's Office, Dan Breen House, Co Tipperary.

Veterinary Officers Michael O’Sullivan, Cavan County Council, Cavan.

19

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