covid-19:our 1945moment?

comment page 3

onlIne SPecIAl

CSQ

Under lockdown

ONLINE SPECIAL

2

keeping ship of stateafloat in a time of crisis

Civil Service Quarterly

editor:Derek Mullen

dmullen@forsa.ieAsst editor:

Róisín McKane rmckane@forsa.ie

copy editing/design: Brazier Media

www.brazier.media

Fórsa civil Service divisionTel +353 1 817 1500Tel +353 1 676 5394

Email info@forsa.ie

editorial

work or by the Border Management Unit; or inAgriculture, maintaining the industry andkeeping safe the food chain along withmembers in the Customs Service of Revenue.

We should also not forget the role played byharbour masters and their staff around thecountry in keeping our ports open – such animportant task in maintaining the continuingsupply of food and essential goods.

And Garda Civilian members have steppedup to take over frontline roles in supporting thepolicing service and those in operational roles.

Meanwhile, Law Offices continue to playtheir part in keeping the judicial systemoperating while the National Parks & WildlifeService protect our National Parks and ensureagainst the gatherings witnessed in the earlydays of this crisis.

Across society we have seen which jobsmatter – the post worker, the retail andsupermarket worker, the bin men. These arethe services we all rely on but often took forgranted in pre-Covid times.

The public service has been the spearheadin the fight against Covid-19 and Fórsamembers have stepped up to the mark andperformed over and beyond what is humanlyexpected to protect lives and continueessential services and payments.

They are the backbone of or society and thatmust continue to be recognised as we enterthe economic crisis which is now unfolding.Austerity is not the answer and will not beacceptable.

More now than ever workers need theirunions and those who are not in unions need tojoin up, as there is no doubt that the right-wingof economic thinking will seek to push themassive bill for this crisis on to the backs ofworkers.

With the announcement of the GovernmentRoadmap, we begin to see the likely timescalefor a return to the workplace. However,according to Government, higher-riskorganisations – which by their nature cannoteasily maintain social distancing – mustimplement plans for how they can eventuallyprogress towards the on-site return of a fullcomplement of staff. Particular reference willnow have to be made to the return to workprotocol.

It is clear in the first instance that there maynot be a full return to offices and that remoteworking, which has been a key feature of thishealth crisis, will continue in some form for aconsiderable time. With that comes the needto reach agreement on arrangements forremote working. This should take into accountany health and safety issues which arise andensure that members are equipped to workfrom home. We should also ensure thatfairness exists in the application of sucharrangements – much of which was impossibleto deal with as the crisis unfolded as memberswere sent home without preparation.

Having said that, it is a credit to the civil andpublic service that services were maintainedand that productivity remained so high, evenwith the massive volume of remote working.

During this crisis essential workers continueto attend their workplaces and we applaudtheir dedication. That dedication in the HealthSector has led to some colleagues paying theultimate price, sacrificing their lives in theeffort to save other lives. At this point thereare thousands of health workers in Ireland whohave contracted Covid-19 and we hope fortheir recovery.

Childcare is a vital issue for key workersparticularly in the Health Sector but also forthose civil servants continuing to attend theirworkplace and to provide important services tocitizens. The Roadmap does not satisfactorilydeal with this key need. It continues to beunacceptable that essential workers must useup their annual and parental leave to deal withchildcare responsibilities.

In the Civil Service our members in theDepartment of Employment and SocialProtection have literally knocked the ball out ofthe park processing 600,000 pandemicunemployment claims in a matter of weeks.

More than 50,000 employees have alsobenefitted from the employer subsidy schemeso effectively run by our members in the Officeof the Revenue Commissioners.

All across the Civil Service essential staffhave kept the ship of state afloat, supportingvulnerable citizens at this time of greatestneed throughout what is an unprecedentedcrisis – be that in Justice with ongoing Visa

cover image: Dept of Health’s Chief Medical OfficerDr Tony Holohan at a Covid-19 briefing

Picture: RollingNews.ie

CSQ

Derek MullenEditor

2covid-19

CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

Is 2020 our 1945 moment?Without the US leadership displayed in 1945, the

responsibility for rebooting our economies now rests squarelywith the leaders of Europe and its nations. In this context, themakeshift deal testily hammered out recently by EU financeministers is utterly inadequate to the scale of the challengesbefore us.

The distinction they made – between debt directly associatedwith the virus and debt that isn’t – may look like fancy footworktoday, but it will seem laughable when the full cost of economicrecovery emerges. Once the health crisis abates enough for usto properly assess that damage, the priority will be to kick-startour economies and maintain living standards, not to classify andpay back debt. This will require effort and imagination frompoliticians, the financial sector, public services, businesses, civilsociety, and representative organisations.

Just as in the post-war period,the strongest available tool ofrecovery will be investment ininfrastructure. Critical publicservices such as health,education and childcare will needto recoup. Jobs permanently lostin the Covid crisis will have to bereplaced. Incomes must besupported in the meantime.

That’s before we step up ourresponse to the climate crisis,tackle the pre-coronavirusshortcomings in housing andother public services, or addressthe reasonable expectation thatrecently-introduced universalityin public provision will bemaintained and expanded.

The crisis has also exposedthe vulnerability of people inlow-paid and insecure

employment, while its impact on theorganisation of work – in particular the rapid shift from office-based to remote working – holds huge potential for productivity,public services, regional balance, quality of life, and theenvironment.

In recent weeks, we have witnessed some extraordinarythings, not least the loss and fear that the coronavirus hasinflicted. We’ve also seen the inspiring bravery of our health andother essential workers, the many thousands of volunteers whohave put themselves forward, and a community spirit that hasboth helped limit the spread of the virus and found new ways tosocialise and support others.

If we build on that, our country and our continent can becomemore secure, more equal, more united, and better prepared forfuture shocks. If we fail, we risk a descent into long-termeconomic hardship and political chaos, here and across theEuropean Union.

In the storm of this public health crisis, we’ve seen a significantshift away from a four-decade market-centred economicorthodoxy, and towards some of the principles and toolsassociated with Europe’s post-war reconstruction. This contrastssharply with the 2008-2010 banking crisis, when political,economic and, initially, social consensus swung quickly behind thepolitics and economics of austerity.

Driven in part by public health imperatives, and accompanied byan inspiring spirit of social solidarity, strong support for a State-led response to the massive economic challenges of the Covid-19crisis has emerged in Ireland and beyond.bIndeed, Pope Francishimself called for a post-war spirit of solidarity in his recentEaster message.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen what can be achievedwhen the State mobilises financial, organisational and humanresources for the common good, when people work togethercollectively, and when citizens haveequal access to essentialgoods and services.

The next challenge will be toembed these principles intoour economic, social andbusiness model on the otherside of the emergency. Thereare strong reasons tobelievethat we may be experiencing a‘1945 moment,’ where theenormity of loss and sacrifice,the scale of economicdevastation, and fatigue withausterity, combine to create theconditions for a radical shift inEuropean public policy. And thesheer scale of the comingeconomic storm means we needa fundamentally differentapproach to the one adoptedduring the banking crisis.

As Irish government formationefforts intensify, any unity of national purpose will, at the veryleast, require a progressive counterweight to the centre-right ifwe are to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the past.

This is also a challenge to the left, as the development anddisplay of untested ‘alternatives’ will be as irrelevant to today’scitizens as they are to tomorrow’s historians. That means tradeunions, civil society organisations and others must stand ready toplay their part, together, in the implementation of practicalsolutions. Recent events suggest that a genuinely new social andpolitical consensus is possible on the basis of:

l A high-productivity, high-skills competitive economysupported by publicinvestment in education and infrastructure;

l An economy where all workers can expect an income capableof supporting a decent standard of living;

l Social solidarity, in the form of a strong safety net to supportthose unable to work;

l A social wage, with essential public services provided on auniversal basis;

l Flatter wealth distribution;l Supported by adequate taxation, social dialogue, collective

bargaining, and legal rights to equality and civil and politicalfreedoms.

Joe Cunningham SIPTU General Secretary

Kevin Callinan Fórsa General Secretary

3covid-19 comment

Picture: Jonathan Cutter (Public Domain)

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

4

extraordinary measuresA number of extraordinary measures have beenintroduced and set out in a guidance documentfor civil and public service employers and em-ployees which apply to all public service em-ployees during the Covid-19 crisis.

These measures have been introduced bythe Government for the duration of the crisisand the union is being consulted on an ongoingbasis.

This is a very important development and itis important we understand what these mea-sures are and the reasons why they are beingimplemented.

What is clear is that we are not currently in anormal industrial relations environment. Theunion’s response to measures out in place bythe Government was set out clearly at the out-set of the crisis.

Fórsa and its members across the civil, pub-lic, private, voluntary and semi-state sectorsare committed to co-operating fully with emer-gency measures necessary to contain theCovid-19 coronavirus, protect the health andsafety of citizens and workers, and maintain es-sential services during this unprecedentedpublic health emergency.

A Fórsa spokesperson told CSQ: “The unionwill continue to advise its members to co-oper-ate with all necessary measures, includingsome that might not be acceptable in normaltimes, so long as employers consult with theappropriate unions, respect existing collectiveagreements, and reach agreement with theunion if they feel it necessary to waive aspectsof collective agreements in the short-term.”

Members are strongly advised to co-operatewith management in its efforts to contain theCovid-19 coronavirus, protect the health andsafety of citizens and workers, and maintain es-sential services – including when this meansdoing different things, in different ways, at dif-ferent times.

Guidance issued by the Department of PublicExpenditure and Reform – available athttps://bit.ly/3f4GJcl – states that staff re-deployment across the civil and public servicescould be required to ensure the maintenance ofessential services. It also called for the reas-signment of staff within organisations to priori-tise the most critical services.

The union is liaising constantly with manage-ment to ensure that appropriate protective andcontainment measures are in place.

At the forefront of the national response toCovid-19 the focus has been to support thehealth and wellbeing of all citizens. To achievethis, and to keep delivering crucial services tosociety, the Government has sought our sup-port to work together as a unified public ser-vice.

Clearly there is a big ask on our members tokeep the ship of state afloat, to support the

pared to assist staff and management to un-derstand the process, rules and expectationsassociated with temporary assignments acrossthe public service.

New arrangements for a public service-widemobilisation to tackle the Covid-19 virus andmaintain essential public services have beenput in place. They allow the temporary realloca-tion of civil and public servants to critical rolesin the HSE, social welfare and elsewhere for upto three months, with a possible extension if re-quired.

Under the new arrangements, published in aDepartment of Public Expenditure and Reform(DPER) circular on 18th March, local HumanResource departments across the civil andpublic service will identify staff who could bereleased for temporary reallocation.

Staff identified as available for potential tem-porary reallocation will receive a link to an on-line questionnaire for submission to adedicated Public Appointments Service (PAS)portal.

Then PAS will process temporary realloca-tions in consultation with the relevant local HRdepartments – with assignments starting assoon as possible.

The new measures guarantee that staff whotake on temporary roles will continue to be em-ployed, and paid by, their existing employer.And they will return to their existing employerand role once the temporary reallocation isover. The measures also confirm that HSE-rec-ommended social distancing will be observedin work settings.

Special leave The general principles that will apply for mem-bers including those who have been infectedare set out in the FAQs. Obligations under theSafety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005must be met and flexibility for alternative work-ing arrangements, especially home working,must be implemented where possible.

This will enable employees, who are not ill, tocontinue working and to ensure social distanc-ing and support for those essential workerswho need to attend the workplace.

Special leave with pay will apply to periods ofmedically/HSE recommended self-isolation,and also to medical diagnoses of Covid-19 in-fection where the employee is not well enoughto work from home. The general principles ap-plying to the management of sick leave, for ex-ample the requirement of employees to contactmanagers, and for ongoing contact with em-ployees who are on special leave for this pur-pose, will also apply.

Any special leave with pay granted for thepurpose of self-isolation or any diagnosis ofCovid-19 will not be counted as part of the em-ployee’s sick leave record. The application of

covid-19

Members are strongly advised to co-operate withmanagement in its efforts

to contain the covid-19 coronavirus, protect the

health and safety of citizensand workers, and maintain

essential services – includingwhen this means doing

different things, in differentways, at different times

outstanding efforts in the Health Sector and todeliver key services and payments from theCivil Service.

Our members have responded in the bestpossible way and in the most difficult of circum-stances to ensure this is done and to continueto provide services to very vulnerable citizens.

Temporary assignments across the civil andpublic service are a necessary response to theunprecedented national crisis arising from theCovid-19 pandemic and FAQs have been pre-

Work Arrangements

Picture: NIAID-RML (Public Domain)

5CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

5

for extraordinary times...

special leave with pay will apply for the numberof days advised by the HSE/doctor. Appropri-ate medical/HSE confirmation/advice of theneed to self-isolate and/or a diagnosis of Covid-19 will be required.

Attendance at workFollowing the Government’s ‘stay at home’ an-nouncement of 27th March, Fórsa has advisedmembers to stay away from workplaces onpublic health grounds unless their employer hastold them they need to attend work. This was achange to previous advice given to members togo in to work unless otherwise instructec bytheir line manager or HR department.

The latest advice is you should not attendwork if:

l You have been told not to attend work byyour manager or HR department.

l Remote working arrangements have beenput in place, and you have been told to work athome by your manager or HR department.

l You have a medical reason for not attend-ing work.

l You are self-isolating on medical or HSEadvice.

Civil and public servants who are not attend-ing work for approved coronavirus-related rea-sons – or on medical advice – will receive basic

pay including fixed allowances. Coronavirus-re-lated sick leave will not be counted as part ofthe employee’s sick leave record, so long asthey have medical or HSE confirmation of theneed to self-isolate. But you must follow theguidelines published by the Department ofPublic Expenditure and Reform.

Pregnant women The HSE published new guidance for pregnanthealth workers on 15th April. If you are preg-nant and concerned about attending work, youshould phone your doctor for medical advicebefore attending work. Please don’t attend thedoctor’s surgery unless specifically advised todo so. You should also advise your line manageror HR department that you are doing this. Themost recent official guidelines include adviceon contacting work when seeking medical ad-vice, which is available at the following linkhttps://bit.ly/2VHpIvW.

‘Vulnerable groups’The HSE published new guidance for ‘vulnera-ble health workers’ on 15th April. (Guidance athttps://bit.ly/2yvJq66) The new guidance alsolists a range of serious medical conditions andadvises ‘vulnerable health care workers’ whohave them not to go to work.

But it says workers with other medicallymanaged pre-existing diseases “are unlikely tobe at greater risk of acquiring Covid-19 virusinfection” if they wear appropriate personalprotective equipment. “They can continue towork unless there is a specific recommendationfrom their treating specialist,” it adds.

If you are in vulnerable group (ie, if you areover 60 or have a long-term medical conditionsuch as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes,cancer or high blood pressure), you shouldphone your doctor for medical advice before at-tending work. (For a list of at-risk groups, go tohttps://bit.ly/2RVmrbC). Please don’t attendthe doctor’s surgery unless specifically advisedto do so.

You should also advise your line manager orHR department that you are doing this. The most recent official guidelines include ad-vice on contacting work when seeking medicaladvice, which is available at the following link:https://bit.ly/3cH0Hbp.

Members recently recovered from a critical illnessIf you’ve recently recovered from a critical ill-ness, have recently been signed fit for work,but are concerned that you might be particu-larly vulnerable to the virus, you should phoneyour doctor for medical advice before attendingwork. Please don’t attend the doctor’s surgery

covid-19

There is a big ask on ourmembers to keep the ship ofstate afloat, to support the

Health Sector and deliverkey services and payments

from the civil Service

Work Arrangements

Picture: Nik Andr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Continued on page 6

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

6covid-19

unless specifically advised to do so.You should also advise your line manager or

HR department that you are doing this. Themost recent official guidelines include adviceon contacting work when seeking medical ad-vice, which is available at the following link:https://bit.ly/2zmuEix.

Self-isolatingOn 16th March, the Department of Public Ex-penditure and Reform (DPER) issued advice onwhat employees should do if they have to gointo self-quarantine or self-isolation as a resultof the Covid-19 virus. You can read a summaryon the following link https://bit.ly/2RYFbGY.

childcare difficultiesYou will not automatically be paid if you are ab-sent for work because of childcare difficultiesarising from school or crèche closures. How-ever, DPER has called on managers and em-ployees to be flexible in such circumstances,and has advised public service employers tosupport staff experiencing childcare problemsincluding by enabling home working or intro-ducing flexible shifts, staggered shifts, longeropening hours or weekend working. You canread more at https://bit.ly/3azD2bv.

Staff recently returned from abroadStaff who have recently returned from abroad– particularly from restricted areas as definedby the Department of Foreign Affairs, shouldfollow HSE guidelines and/or seek medical ad-vice. You should also advise your line manageror HR department that you are doing this. Themost recent official guidelines include adviceon contacting work when seeking medical ad-vice, which is available at the following link:https://bit.ly/3cBXc5L.

employers and those deemedmedically vulnerable...Employers should advise employees to self-de-clare if they believe that they are extremelymedically vulnerable and are advised to cocoonand should be facilitated to work from home tothe maximum extent possible.

If an employer is unsure whether or not anemployee falls into the extremely medically vul-nerable category, advice can be sought fromthe Occupational Health Service associatedwith their organisation.

Where workplace attendance has beendeemed essential, employers should implementarrangements which support segregation ofthe workforce and social distancing measures.For example, this could include flexible shifts,staggered hours, longer opening hours andweekend working.

what if an employee can’t work from home?Employers should be exploring every possible

avenue of making a suitable arrangement to fa-cilitate home working. Managers should main-tain regular contact with employees who havebeen advised to restrict their movements andcontinue to explore opportunities for workwhich can be performed at home both insideand outside the organisation as services comesunder increasing pressure.

If remote working in an employee’s currentrole is not feasible, then work may be assignedthat is outside their usual core duties, for exam-ple: contact tracing, payment processing or anyother work identified. Employers should agreearrangements with their employees in this re-gard.

How should flexi-time operate during this period? The normal operation of flexi-time or equivalentattendance management rules, including anyflexi-time accruals and deficits, is to be tem-porarily suspended during the period of theCovid-19 crisis to facilitate the required newways of working across the public service. This does not preclude organisations fromusing clocking in and out arrangements thatapply. Any balances accrued by employees be-fore the suspension of flexible working hoursarrangements can remain and be held over untilthe Covid working arrangements are no longerin place.

Is special leave with pay availablefor caring responsibilities?There is no special paid leave available forCovid-19 caring arrangements during thistime. All forms of flexible working must be con-sidered including working from home and/orworking adjusted hours to facilitate employeesto balance work and caring responsibilities.

If employees are not set up for remote work-ing at present, they need to continue to remainavailable to work, and their employer shouldidentify work that can be given to them. Em-ployers should be looking at alternative ar-

rangements – such as staggering hours, wideropening hours including weekend work, lookingat temporary assignment etc. This will be astandard approach across the entire publicsector.

If the person cannot work outside the homeand cannot perform their current role remotely,the employee is still to be considered as ac-tively on duty and available to work. Employersneed to be flexible and innovative in terms ofensuring that their employees remain as pro-ductive as possible during this time.

If the employer cannot assign work to themremotely, then the employee can/will be as-signed work outside of their usual core dutiesi.e. potentially a new role.

This should be continuously reviewed bymanagement to ensure that employees areplaced where they are most needed to delivercritical services. There will be temporary as-signments in the public sector under the princi-ple of one public service to deal with this crisis.

What this means is that is any employee canbe assigned work outside their usual core du-ties, or in a new role as required by the publicservice. Any employee who wishes to avail ofexisting leave allowances during this time is en-titled to have such requests considered by theiremployer, as always, including parental leave,annual leave etc.

living with high-risk individuals –Is there special leave with pay?Special leave with pay does not apply in suchcircumstances. Employers should facilitateflexible working including working from homewhere possible in these circumstances. Whereit is not possible to perform one’s role at homeand the employee is required to attend a work-place as an essential worker, they should followthe HSE guidelines on social distancing to min-imise risk of transmission.

requests to cancel or reschedule pre-booked leave Where an employee wishes to cancel pre-booked leave (e.g. parental or annual leave) thismay be facilitated once it is in line with the nor-mal rules applying in the relevant sector. Flexi-bility during this time, from both employers andemployees, is advisable. This flexibility shouldbe based on the individual circumstances ofeach case, with regard to balancing the needsof the business and the employee.

Shorter working Year update The expectation is that any Shorter WorkingYear (SWY) arrangement that is scheduled willgo ahead as planned. Where there is a businessrequirement, it may be possible for employersto cancel/postpone SWY with the agreement ofthe employee. In exceptional circumstancesemployers may agree to defer at the employee’srequest, subject to business requirements.

Work Arrangements

Continued from page 5

Picture: NJNG (CC BY 2.0)

CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

137covid-19 Work Arrangements

The Return to Work Safely Protocol has justbeen published following high level discussionat the Labour Employer Economic Forum(LEEF).

It is designed to support employers andworkers to put measures in place to preventthe spread of Covid-19 in the workplace whenthe economy begins to slowly open up, follow-ing the temporary closure of most businessesduring the worst phase of the current pan-demic.

The protocol should be used by all work-places to adapt their workplace proceduresand practices to comply fully with the Covid-19 related public health protection measuresidentified as necessary by the HSE.

The measures include no-handshaking pol-icy, temperature testing, intensive cleaning,

and contact logs to facilitate contact tracing.Each workplace must appoint and train at

least one “lead worker representative” chargedwith working with the employer to ensure thathealth and safety measures are strictly ad-hered to.

There is also considerable responsibilityplaced on an employee to monitor their ownwellbeing and to report any symptoms to amanager as well as self-isolating and contact-ing a doctor.

At-risk and vulnerable workers must be pref-erentially supported to maintain physical dis-tancing and, where possible, supported towork from home.

The protocol stated that workers should beorganised into teams who consistently workand take breaks together. Remote meetings

should be encouraged and essential face-to-face meetings should be as short as possible,with the number of participants kept to a min-imum and gatherings of workers at the begin-ning and end of shifts to be avoided.

In the Civil Service, departments and organ-isations are beginning to develop plans to dealwith emerging circumstances and the possiblereturn to work later in the year.

It is clear, taking account of the protocol andits requirements, that there will be much worknecessary to ensure that offices are fit for pur-pose.

Looking at the design and delivery of ser-vices will be vital and issues of remote workingincluding general arrangements for such anapproach must involve engagement withFórsa.

leeF sets out priorities on safe return to work

8

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

when all of us are trying to work together toachieve the best possible outcomes for thepublic, in terms of safety and income supports.”

Highlighting how closely the union hadworked – and would continue to work –with thedepartment on a range of Covid-19 contigen-cies, Mr Mullen, however, pointed out that the“lack of timely consultation” over the proposalwould make to more difficult to maintain “the

Over the last few weeks what constitutesessential services within the Civil Ser-vice and elsewhere has been deter-mined – and this includes keystaff in DEASP and Rev-enue who are involvedin the pandemic unem-ployment claims aswell as the employersubsidy scheme (beinghandled by Revenue).

DEASP has seen ahuge spike in Covid-re-lated PUP claims and asurge in Covid-relatedillness benefit claims isawaited.

At this point more than 200staff have been redeployed toDEASP, but there will be a requirement formany more to deal with the unprecedented vol-ume of claims as well as the expected spike intelephone queries arising from rejected claims.

This spike in calls, expected in April, led tothe union having to deal with a difficult proposalfrom the DEASP to outsource some of the callanswering to a ‘processes management ser-vices’ company called Abtran for a period ofthree to four weeks.

However, Fórsa made its position about theuse of external resources crystal clear in a sub-sequent communication with the department.

This was set out in Fórsa’s response to a 5thApril email from department chiefs informingthe union of its intention to put in place an“emergency plan” to use external resources toboost DEASP phone-answering capacity.

National Secretary Derek Mullen insisted theunion fully shared the department’s desire toensure there was a “speedy response” to the“unprecedented surge” in Covid-19 relatedclaims but expressed disappointment that theunion had not been consulted earlier “particu-larly in light of the unprecedented effort, com-mitment and productivity” shown by itsmembers in recent weeks.

He continued: “In normal times, Fórsa wouldoppose outsourcing of this kind, which wouldnormally be deemed unnecessary and in breachof the Public Service Stability Agreement.

“And, while I fully accept that these are notnormal times, I cannot accept that consultationshould be set aside – particularly at this time,

goodwill and momentum” needed to deal withthe huge number of claims and calls expectedfollowing the 7th April pay date.

Mr Mullen did acknowledge that the DEASPintended to boost numbers in the Covid-19 In-come Support Helpline by redeploying internalstaff as well as drafting in colleagues fromacross the public service.

He also accepted the DEASP’s characterisa-tion of the proposal as "an emergency tempo-rary response designed to respond to anunprecedented situation" and the department’sintention to use the services of the NSSO andpossibly the Passport Office in the near future.

Despite this, Mr Mullen reiterated Fórsa’s po-sition that the department should source call-takers from within the civil and public serviceand flagged up the large number of staff await-ing temporary reassignment.

“We expect the department to proceed onthe basis of public service temporary reassign-ments as a matter of urgency. If an emergencyarrangement with an external supplier is nec-essary in the short-term, this should be for theminimum possible period of time and certainlyno longer than the short time necessary toramp up the deployment of public service tem-porary reassignments.”

Mr Mullen made it clear that any external ar-

128covid-19 Departmental News

Illustration: www.epictop10.com (CC BY 2.0)

deASP cards marked overtemporary use of outsideprovider during emergency

If an emergency arrangementwith an external supplier is

necessary in the short-term,this should be for the

minimum possible period and certainly no longer than

the short time necessary to ramp up the deployment

of public service temporary reassignments

CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

9

rangement made by the department “shouldcertainly not exceed the three to four week pe-riod” or for anything other that the “specificemergency purpose” set out in the 5th Aprilemail. He added: “And, clearly, there can be noquestion of DEASP staff being reassigned dur-ing this period, given the emergency that youhave identified in the department.”

Vowing to keep the situation under review, MrMullen underlined to the Department thatFórsa’s position on this should not “in any way,or at any time, be read as a precedent”.

As CSQ goes to press, the three to four weekexternal contact has now ended and we havewarned the department against any further useof outsourcing. Fórsa has made it clear that thedepartment and DPER must now follow throughwith putting in place the internal resources toreplace the outside contractor.

At the same time in DEASP, the union hasworked hard to ensure that the opening of pub-lic offices – particularly Intreo Centres – is keptto a minimum. This is now under further reviewfollowing the closure of offices in Swords andCahirciveen.

Overall it is gratifying to report the extraordi-nary efforts made by our members in DEASP toprocess so many claims – 600,000 to date – insuch a short time.

Meanwhile, in Revenue, huge efforts on theEmployer Helpline relating to the subsidyscheme have seen more than 200,000 claimsprocessed, while in Customs significant pro-gess has been made to expedite trade chan-nels.

other essential servicesIn Justice, essential services continue in theBMU, Visa section and Direct Provision amongothers. Civilian staff continue to attend in AGS,supporting operational roles and taking overroles such as front of Garda station, a develop-ment that was expected later under civilianisa-tion, but has now been fast-tracked.

Vital services are also being provided inmany other departments such as Foreign Af-fairs with continuity of passport processing andconsular service concentrating on getting citi-zens home from abroad, while in Housing theMET Service continues to operate.

Government decisions on state exams, par-ticularly the Leaving Certificate, will also haveimplications for essential officers over the com-ing weeks and months. The Department of Agri-culture continues to provide essential servicesrelated to farming and the food supply chain.

Law Offices have determined domesticabuse and childcare as essential too.

remote workingNot all essential services operate from thework base as many are being worked remotelyas is the case with many non-essential ser-vices. While some technical issues have arisenwith remote working, generally it has turnedout to be a good experience. Fórsa is trying toincrease the numbers who are remotely en-abled and supervised as well as deal with re-porting arrangements.

Social distancing and work patternsMost departments have introduced staggeredor rostered work arrangements alongside thesuspension of flexi time to help with social dis-tancing and to ensure that those with caring re-sponsibilities have the flexibility to meet bothwork and caring demands.

This is not a perfect solution but thus far it isworking reasonably well and has been particu-larly well received by parents who struggle withthe closure of crèches.

Some of these arrangements include possi-ble weekend work. However, no-one on a nor-mal five-day pattern is required to workweekends unless they need to make up time.

In DEASP, the working day has been reducedto seven hours as part of these changes withother departments putting in place similarmeasures.

PAS/temporary reassignmentMany staff now identified as non-essential areawaiting possible temporary reassignment.Those members are being asked to complete aquestionnaire which identifies skills to helpwith these temporary reassignments.

As CSQ goes to press, 200 have moved atthe early volunteer stage to DEASP with manymore engaged in contact tracing across de-partments.

139covid-19 Departmental News

Picture: Jernej Furman (CC BY 2.0)

Picture: David Martyn Hunt (CC BY 2.0)

new reAlITY remote working

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

1210covid-19 Departmental News

Members have processed more than 600,000Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUP) inthe past seven weeks – with the number ofpeople becoming unemployed increasing four-fold.

Many of our members in DEASP have beenworking flat out to ensure that people whohave lost their jobs due to the pandemic arepaid as quickly as possible.

The collective effort of our members, theflexibility and commitment they have shown instressful workplaces, to ensure that fellowworkers who’ve lost their jobs have money intheir accounts to put food on the table hasbeen immense and is ongoing. The processingof PUP arrears will now be the main focus.

Face-to-face servicesFórsa has questioned the need to retain face-to-face services during the pandemic whenthese services can be provided at a reducedrisk remotely (either by phone, online or bypost).

Management have reduced the risk by cut-ting the opening hours in Intreo Centres (ICs)to three half-days per week, but the risk per-sists. Two ICs were recently closed due toCovid 19 concerns.

Management have been informed of somecustomers attending Intreo Centres overCovid-19 illness benefit claims, stating thattheir doctors have advised them to self-isolate.

On Friday 24th a customer arrived in an ICclaiming to have Covid 19. This matter hasbeen referred to An Garda Síochána.

Fórsa continues to highlight in the strongestterms possible that ICs – as well as other pub-lic offices – can and should provide their ser-vices remotely over the course of the currentemergency.

The Community Welfare Services (CWS) arebeing provided effectively remotely by ourCommunity Welfare Officers (CWOs) acrossmuch of DEASP. A number of locations arestill providing CWO services face to face andwe are working on introducing remote bestpractice across the department.

Intreo centre catchment areasWe have requested that where Intreo Centres(ICs) continue to provide face-to-face servicesthat only customers from the catchment areaare dealt with. At present there are customersusing Kings Inns on Parnell Street whoshouldn’t be there.

We have advised DEASP that their advicethat a customer can use any IC they want runscounter to Government public health measuresthat restrict movement. Not only are other cus-tomers and our members being put at risk bythis practice but customers attending ICs,other than their local IC, also put bus driversand other essential workers using public trans-port at greater risk. This matter remains underdiscussion.

outsourcingThere has been a significant peak in calls toDEASP given the unprecedented rise in unem-ployment over such a short period of time. Callvolume since the crisis began has quadrupled.

Staff from the Passport Office were tem-porarily reassigned to answer DEASP calls, aswere staff from the NSSO.

DEASP staff have also been reassigned toboth Covid-19 and Illness Benefit phonebanks.

Management took the unilateral decision to

temporarily outsource part of the call answer-ing function to Abtran for a three to four-weekperiod.

We have queried why DEASP staff assignedto phone banks were being stood down fromcarrying out this work when the work wasbeing outsourced.

Fórsa has raised this matter at the highestlevels within DEASP and DPER to ensure thatthis contract is not extended and that the peakin calls are dealt with through the further tem-porary reassignment of DEASP and civil/publicservants to call answering.

HomeworkingAbout 2,300 of DEASP’s 6,000 staff were ini-tially facilitated with homeworking. Fórsa haspushed for this level of homeworking to be in-creased but DEASP has started to decreasethe number of staff working from home.

Paul MacSweeneyAssistant General Secretary, DEASP

Unprecedented: 600,000 PUPclaims processed in 7 weeks...

we have advised deASPthat their advice that a customer can use any

Intreo centre they want runs counter to Governmentpublic health measures that

restrict movement

Picture: Fórsa

Pic

ture

: Nen

ad

Sto

jkov

ic (C

C B

Y 2

.0)

deASP

CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

1311covid-19 Departmental News

Staff in Waterford, Buncrana and other loca-tions have been directed to return to the officeas their online work, including processing ofPUP, has reduced significantly.

While we have received assurances on com-pliance with social distancing we have raisedconcerns over canteens, toilet facilities as wellas entrances and exits to buildings.

Fórsa continues to seek additional home-working, including facilitation of homeworkingfor phone bank work. Technical difficulties ap-pear in part to be impacting on the level ofhomeworking.

In a number of cases staff have only been fa-cilitated with homeworking where they haveupgraded broadband or bought PCs. Theseadditional costs will be examined at the end ofthe crisis.

In Sligo, HQ staff are being put on a home-working rotation, giving office-based staff anopportunity to work from home while prioritis-ing the retention of homeworking for staff inthe ‘at risk’ categories as well as those withcaring responsibilities.

childcare and homeworkingWith most DEASP staff carrying out work fromthe office, securing homeworking for childcarepurposes has not been possible for all mem-bers.

This has been a particular difficulty for ourmembers working in Intreo Centres, as theycontinue to provide a face-to-face service.

In some instances members have been toldthat if they want to take care of their childrenthat annual leave, parental leave or other un-paid leave are the only options. Some membershave taken a mixture of unpaid and annualleave.

Fórsa has written to department chiefs ad-vising them that this approach is unsustainableand that our members who are available towork from home should be facilitated to do soin the wider civil and public service if DEASPcannot facilitate their requests.

State examinationscommissionFollowing the decision of theMinister to postpone theLeaving Certificate, consider-able demands are set to beplaced on the SEC in the com-ing weeks and months, partic-ularly with the developmentand delivery of the calculatedgrades model through allstages, and including the ap-peals process. Added to thisis the need to start planningfor the 2021 examinations.

It has also been deemednecessary that the SEC willbe largely reconstituted, on atemporary basis, as an execu-tive agency of the Depart-ment of Education and Skills.

To effect this change, theSEC will continue as a bodycorporate, albeit with a skele-ton staff, while staff in theother business areas will beseconded on a temporarybasis to this new executiveagency in the department.

It is intended that the nor-mal SEC management struc-tures and management teamwill be in place in respect ofthe seconded SEC staff inthis temporary executiveagency.

Fórsa expects to begin im-portant engagements onthese matters in the weeksahead.

dept of AgricultureA large number of issues re-lating to the requirement forClerical Officers to attendwork during the Covid-19 cri-sis have been dealt with. Mostof the higher grades had beenaccommodated with homeworking arrangements. How-ever, some AP’s had deemedwhole sections ‘essentialwork’ – including forestry andsome farm management ser-vices – requiring staff to workin offices. After discussionswith HR on this designation of‘essential’ work, it turned thatthere was no requirement onmembers of staff to attendwork in the offices.

dublin PortThe Covid-19 crisis devel-oped shortly after agreementwas reached with the union toplace CO Portal Inspectors on

a double-day shift workingpattern. Because of the re-duction in port traffic, theneed to place staff on shiftwas significantly reduced.

However, managementwanted to continue to imple-ment the deal on back ofunion arguments that socialdistancing would be impossi-ble if all staff were required toattend work at the same time.

Agri-labs BranchA number of lab analysts

and other grades have nowvolunteered and were rede-ployed to the testing of Covid-19 samples as part of theHSE request for further test-ing resources. Staff in theDAFM Backweston facilityare working on double-dayshifts and are satisfied withthe arrangements. OtherFórsa members who work aschemists in the State Lab inBackweston have also volun-teered for Covid-19 testing.

department of education & SkillsMost staff are working fromhome and no major issueshave been raised with theunion other than a concernover health and safety adviceissued by the department.Fórsa is also dealing with anumber of individual issuesover childcare and relatedmatters. These are being han-dled on a case-by-case basis.

nSSoMost staff in NSSO are

working from home at thisstage. Between 55 to 60staff were deployed andtrained by DEASP to workfrom the site in Clonskeaghservicing the Covid-19helpline. Fórsa was satisfiedthat the building is more thanlarge enough to cope withthose numbers being de-ployed there and will ensurethat there is more-than-ade-quate social distancing inplace.

oPwThe majority of staff are work-ing from home and havearisen, and the union is start-ing to return to normal IR busi-ness.

Prison ServiceMost staff are working fromhome and the union is in regu-lar contact with managementon various members’ issues asthey arise.

GSoc Fórsa is awaiting final clear-ance on a new flexibility al-lowance for investigationteams. The submission is withDPER. Management at GSOChas been very quick to re-spond to the Covid-19 crisisand has very efficiently set upremote working.

cSSo While management struggledwith introduction of flexibleworking options – they weretrying to be fair – particularproblems arose with the non-solicitor grades as their onlyremote access, includingemail access, is by phone.

Members were also askingwhy the State was continuingwith civil litigation matters inthe face of the Covid-19 cri-sis. Fórsa has raised this issuewith management as it meansunnecessary attendance inthe workplace.

Attorney General There is still poor communica-tion with our members in theAG’s Office despite the bestefforts of Fórsa’s Sean Cara-bini to ensure remote workingarrangements for administra-tive staff. The union has takenup the matter with DPER.

legal Aid Board Concerns have been raisedover increased targets com-ing from management duringthe Covid-19 crisis. Beforethe crisis hit, the union hadengaged on an extensive con-sultation with members on theissue. A union source toldCSQ the issue for “ripe for fol-low up” in the aftermath of thecrisis.

Meanwhile, there have alsobeen issues raised over re-mote working. According toFórsa, public offices also tooka long time to close as the cri-sis developed – but they arenow closed.

newS In BrIeF

More NEWS IN BRIEF p16

12 ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

1412covid-19 Departmental News

All Garda staff have been deemed by theGarda Commissioner to be essential workers.Those who are carrying out their duties in theworkplace are subject to the social distancingrules set out in the DPER and HSE guidelines.

However, staff who are able to work fromhome are being facilitated to the maximum ex-tent possible with measures put in place to in-crease the scope for remote working.

In addition to these home working arrange-ments, a number of other options have been of-fered to employees, such as flexible shifts,staggered shifts, longer opening hours andweekend working, as well as working from an-other location.

Contingency measures have also been put inplace at the Garda 999 control room in Dublinwith staff working from two separate locationsto protect the service’s operation.

Meanwhile, all student gardai have been re-leased from the Garda College to serve on thefront line.

Four Garda-related testing areas are beingset up: Santry Garda station in north Dublin;the Garda Training College in Templemore, CoTipperary; a unit at the disused Galway Airport;and a Garda facility in Ballyshannon, Co Done-gal. Garda management have stated that these

All Court Service staff have been cate-gorised as essential workers. The CourtsService is facilitating this both through on-site flexibility – including staggered shifts,longer days etc – as well as off-site flexibil-ity. In general, one office per county (outsideof Dublin) remains open.

New practice directions have been put inplace for online applications; eCourt roomswhere only the judge and registrar are incourt; the use of technical video solutions(especially in civil matters in High Court);and the use of VLA for those in prison.

In addition, where possible, those in policecustody can be represented by their solici-tor.

Meanwhile, CCJ appearances are beingscheduled where possible instead of the cur-rent system of finding out at court on theday. The District Court is only open for emer-gency matters and Dublin family law is beingdealt with solely in Dolphin House with at-tendance by appointment only.

Following the mediation process a Sundaypremium came into effect from January 1st,2020.

However, it appears that a new SLA has tobe put in place with NSSO requiring a soft-ware update.

A manual process to ensure payment of theSunday premium has been in use in the mean-time. All arrears from January 1st 2020 wereto be paid on April 2nd/3rd 2020.

The issue of arrears has now been referredfor adjudication under the C&A scheme, with

reASSIGned Student gardai at Templemore have been drafted to front line service during Covid crisis

Picture: RollingNews.ie

GArdA AreA

centres will operate as stand-alone areas. Ex-isting staff will have not have access to theseareas and will not be involved in any way.

Protocols involving the setting up of theseareas, the disposal of waste etc, will be in linewith HSE guidelines.

Management have also confirmed thatthose members of staff that have volunteeredfor this process will not be interacting withother staff.

Policing’sresponseto thecovid-19 emergency

coUrT SerVIce

Border MAnAGeMenT UnIT

Flexible approachon and off-site...

Manual processing on Sunday premiumsthe union’s statement of claim issued to DPERon April 20th 2020. A counter statement frommanagement has now been received and –subject to Covid-19 developments – a hearingis awaited. A claim for on-call allowance forHEO shift managers was also lodged at De-partmental Council and is under consideration.

Due to a massive fall-off in passenger num-bers because of the Covid-19 emergency,some staff have volunteered to do alternatework. Management is currently looking intothis.

oPerATIonS HUB New measures have been brought in at the Garda 999 control room in Dublin

13CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

1313covid-19

remote working andsocial distancingThe Revenue Commissioners havesomewhere in the region of 80%of personnel working remotely. AllRevenue offices are now closed tothe public and the national phoneline functions.

All functions including the Em-ployers Wage Subsidy Schemehelpline have moved to the Rev-enue Online Service (ROS).

Workers that are attending theoffices for essential services aredoing so while conforming to theGovernment’s advice under thenew social distancing measures.This allows our members to safelycarry out their work.

redeployments Revenue has facilitated the rede-ployment of staff to the Depart-ment of Health for Covid-19contact tracing, and has identifiedstaff that can be redeployed toDEASP.

Some of the Customs vehicleswill be used to help the state de-liver essential services within ourcommunities and the delivery ofPPE for frontline health staff.

keeping the wheelsof revenue turning...While the majority of staff in Rev-enue are working remotely, theyhave processed in excess of €30million in state aid payments dur-ing the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 8,000 employershave signed up to the Covid-19Wage Subsidy Scheme, operatedby Revenue, which ensures thatworkers receive enhanced sup-ports directly from their employer.

Unemployment in the State hasnow reached 25%, and a signifi-cant number of those affected areeligible for payments under thevarious aid programmes. To date,more than 58,000 employeeshave benefited from the WageSubsidy Scheme.

This Trojan work being carriedout by our members remotely isvital work in keeping the Irisheconomy going.

Suspension of familyfriendly agreements... While remote working arrange-ments are in place, Revenue hasmoved to suspend flexi-workingarrangements in line with the restof the public service and as perDPER’s instruction. Time accrued,

Departmental News

however, before the introductionof this suspension will be hon-oured. Management have intro-duced an extension to theclocking system, from 8am to8pm (Monday to Sunday), for staffworking remotely. They advisedthe union that this adjustmentwas introduced as a means of fa-cilitating workers with familial orcaring responsibilities, who mayfind that they need to spread their

working weekly hours outside ofthe normal working week.

This provision has been madesolely to help members spacetheir work across the seven-dayperiod to facilitate their own do-mestic arrangements. There is norequest from management forwork to be carried out past thenormal weekly working hours ornormal working hour arrange-ments. Nobody should work

above their normal hours unlessan overtime arrangement hasbeen made with their manager.

Previous Shorter Working Year,parental leave and other leave ar-rangements will go ahead as pre-viously booked. If members needto seek changes to their previ-ously-booked unpaid leave, theyshould contact their managerwhere their requests will be con-sidered on a case-by-case basis.

reVenUe coMMISSIonerS

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

1414covid-19 Departmental News

other newsMost of our members in the Department ofJustice and Equality are now working remotelywith a skeleton staff operating in CorporateServices, IPAS, IPO and INIS.

In Tipperary, all staff are working remotelyexcept for one AP and one HEO who attendthe workplace to deal with post and the alloca-tion of work to staff.

In Killarney, staff are working remotely witha core shift going to the office on a split-shiftbasis.

Management at the Department of Justice andEquality have produced an important guidancebooklet for managers dealing with remoteworking, which looks set to be a continuing re-ality for many civil servants in the monthsahead.

The guidance sets out what the Departmentsees as a new set of demands and re-sponsibilities for managersduring the current Covid-19emergency.

It calls on line managers tounderstand the impact the cri-sis has had on the personal cir-cumstances of members ofstaff and flags up the need “torespond... with flexibility, withkindness and with a sense of hu-mour, where possible.”

The guidance is split into threeareas and looks at communica-tion, work planning and managingexpectations, as well as staff well-being and motivation.

In terms of communication, line managersare encouraged to “up the level of interaction”,with a call to set aside “specific time for check-ins”, including on a one-to-one basis.

Because of the disruption caused to normalways of working, managers are instructed tomake their communication to staff “as clear aspossible” and to encourage team members toask questions “if they are unsure on any point”.

The guidance calls for team members to beencouraged to “to stay in touch with eachother to connect informally” and suggests vir-tual tea/coffee breaks using video conferencesfacilities.

On work planning, the guidance wantsmanagers to maintain their “usual style asmuch as possible” giving regular feedback andrecognising high quality work.

“It may not be possible,” the guidance sug-gests,” to manage every aspect of your work ina remote team in the same way you would inthe office.”

Because of this line managers should focusinstead on specific outcomes and adapt theirapproach accordingly.

It adds: “Encourage your team to let youknow if they are having difficulty completingspecific tasks or if they have other concerns.”

On staff wellbeing and motivation, theguidance underlines the importance of linemanagers offering “encouragement and emo-tional support”.

“This is a difficult situation for everyone,” itpoints out,”but we know from research thatemployees look to their managers for cues on

respond with flexibility, kindnessand, if possible, a sense of humour

how to react to a crisis.”Among other points, the guidance calls on

managers to:l Remain calm and optimistic when interact-

ing with staff;l Seek feedback from staff on both work-

related and personal wellbeing issues;l Focus on achievement and record what

has worked well; andl Share what has been learned with col-

leagues.Meanwhile, in a May 2nd letter to staff, Sec-

retary General Aidan O’Driscoll said the De-partment was working on the assumption that“remote working is to be maximised until theautumn at least” and pointed out that “how wework is likely to be fundamentally altered evenafter the health threat dissipates”.

Mr O’Driscoll admitted that the Civil Servicewas “better placed” than many sectors in termsof remote working, but insisted that the healthand wellbeing of those members of staff whoneeded to attend offices to carry out their du-ties “will continue to be our priority”.

“This will mean revising how we make use of

we will continue to providesupports which take into

account people’s individualcircumstances, and approach

the challenges we face in a collegiate, flexible and

empathetic way

our office space and ensuring that necessaryprotective measures are in place,” he added.

Mr O’Driscoll continued: “While adapting ourwork might be straightforward in many in-stances, we know that adapting as individualsmight not be.

“We will therefore continue to provide sup-ports which take into account people’s individ-ual circumstances, and approach thechallenges we face in a collegiate, flexible andempathetic way.”

SAGe AdVIce Department of Justice & Equality managers have been issued with Covid-era guidance

Pictures/Illustrations: Nenad Stojkovic (CC BY 2.0); Jurgen Appelo (CC BY 2.0); Duckman Design (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

GUIdAnce For MAnAGerS

CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

16 ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

16

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

Fórsa Probation Officers Branch membershave approved a new workload agreement – ina vote that is being viewed by branch activistsas a “strong mandate for positive change”.

The result, overseen by the Standing OrdersCommittee, was:

l Ballot papers sent out – 219l Ballot papers returned – 135 (61.6%)l Votes for the proposal – 119 (88.1%)l Votes against the proposal – 15 (11.1%)l Spoiled (unmarked, returned to sender

as uncollected) – 1 (0.8%)The development is being seen as an impor-

tant step for both probation officers and forthe branch itself. Negotiating a new workloadagreement has been a branch priority in recentyears. Given the workplace stress that cancome with a large workload of difficult and tax-ing cases, the branch correctly identified thepre-existing workload agreement as being nolonger fit for purpose.

Branch activists led consultations with themembership and were key in coordinating ef-forts to ensure that any new agreement wouldcontain realistic and attainable targets. Whileno deal is ever perfect, this agreement has im-plementation and review periods built into it toensure that any issues that arise can be ad-dressed in a timely manner.

Branch Secretary Sean Lowde told CSQ:“Fórsa – and before that Impact – has long ar-gued that the existing workload agreement,when operating at the maximum numbers al-lowed, is unreasonable, not workable and hasto go. This vote represents an overwhelmingvindication of that position and is a strongmandate for positive change.

“The branch will be doing everything we canto get both the letter and the spirit of thisagreement realised as swiftly as possible. Theformal review of the agreement will take placea year after full implementation.”

The agreement is a good news story that

Probation officers adopt new workload agreement

AGreeMenT Sean Lowde with ballot result

1416covid-19 Departmental News

#HiddenHeroes

Maureen supports a team of 40 staff in their office in Tralee,Co Kerry. Her work includes overseeingcustomer payments, dealing with complex cases and working with her team to meet deadlines.

Maureen QuirkeIntreo centre manager

FÓrSA MeMBerS FIGHTInG coVId-19...

newS In BrIeFdPP The main issue in the DPP’s officeconcerned the number of peoplestill working in the office due to alack of remote working policies.However, according to the union,management has been “as pro-ac-tive as possible” and Fórsa repsare being consulted.

Good lines of communicationare open with management. Initialattempts to lengthen the workingday for a week followed by a weekworking from home were opposedby the union. Now a week on/weekoff (standard day) work pattern isin place.

Foreign Affairs Fórsa is working with grades withoverseas postings to come upwith a list of questions for thosedue to go on foreign postings laterin the year. Many healthcare ques-tions relating to Covid-19 havearisen. Generally, the departmentagreed to let those with health dif-ficulties return home from abroadto work remotely. Passport Officemembers are being redeployed toHSE and DEASP in some cases toassist in call answering on theCovid helpline.

Probation Service A number of concerns have beenraised about working in prison

during the crisis. While much ofthis work is unavoidable and hasto be carried out, some of it is not,and the union has raised this issuewith Probation Service manage-ment.

There had been reports of somemanagers applying pressure to in-dividuals to attend unnecessarilybut these incidents were resolvedat early stage. A source told CSQ:“Raised at the top to nip in thebud.”

Garda collegeThe Garda College is a designatedtesting centre for Covid-19.Cleaners working there were con-cerned that they would be givenresponsibility for cleaning in thetesting area and asked to clean upafter the testers. They have nospecialist training relating to

Covid-19 or, indeed, access toPPE. Management informedFórsa that an area of the campuswould be sectioned off for testingand that HSE staff would have re-sponsibility for that area.

AgricultureConcerns were raised that the in-troduction of a two-shift patternwould apply to the Fuge grades.The Department informed theunion that there would be no ex-ceptions made to the two-shiftpattern but later provided theFuge grades with assurances onovertime payments.

dept of Housing andlocal GovernmentPractically all members of staffare working from home except fora few essential staff based in Cus-

tom House. Meanwhile, many MetÉireann staff are working as nor-mal except for some who are ableto carry out their work remotely.

dept of Business, enterprise and InnovationMost staff are working remotelyand HR are currently carrying outa survey on the issue. A Fórsasource pointed out that the surveywas due to take place anyway, al-though with the developing Covidcrisis, its importance was “evenmore pronounced”.

wrcThe process to recruit a number ofinspectors has been delayed andthe branch is calling for theseposts to be filled “as soon as it issafe to do so”.

Management has confirmedthat the next EO competition is tobe confined to the department –although Covid crisis has delayedmatters.

labour courtAll staff are working remotely withan improvement in IT capacityover recent years facilitating thesmooth transition to these ar-rangements. Meanwhile, work iscurrently ongoing to facilitate on-line hearings.

demonstrates what can be achieved by a ded-icated and focussed team of activists and mayeven serve as a template to other professionswithin the Civil Service that are consideringways to manage difficult workloads.

17CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

GENERAL COUNCIL UPDATE By Derek Mullen

Talks will continue post-Covid over themove to the WRC and Labour Court. Thiswill see civil servants moving to the state IRmachinery for the first time since theLabour Court was set up in 1946.

Discussions centre on which aspects ofthe conciliation and arbitration scheme –such as the General Council and Departmental Councils – will be retained.

The legislative amendment for the inclusion of the Garda was made in 2019.However, the civil service entry to the statesystem was delayed as the AG’s Office hadraised civil service regulator concerns withDPER.

Our expected timescale on this has nowmoved out to later in 2020. Obviously resourcing issues will be to the fore as theWRC/Labour Court prepares for the transfer of the Civil Service and Garda tothe state industrial relations machinery.

AnnUAl leAVe

Talks over wrc move

An additional two days of annual leave weresecured for clerical officers and executiveofficers in 2018 with the deal extended torelated departmental grades in Fórsa.

The leave is service-based and is applicable after 12 and 14 years.

Related claims seeking to increase theoverall threshold of annual leave and otherspecial leave – such as force majeure – arebeing rejected by Public Expenditure, giventhe recent annual leave increase. The unionhas referred these matters to arbitration.

Meanwhile, in other issues relating toleave, it has been agreed that we willshortly review the annual leave circular.Hopefully as part of this review we will seekto abolish the three-year carry-over rulewhich can impact on members and lead toa loss of leave,

It is also agreed that statutory annualleave accrues when an individual is on TRRand/or zero rate of pay due to certified sick

leave. Periods of sick leave at full and halfpay will retain full annual leave entitlements.

This is in response to Court of Justice ofthe European Union (CJEU) rulings on the accrual of annual leave entitlements duringsick leave which relate to the requirementsof the EU Directive on Working Time.

Leave issuesfor arbitration

Pic

ture

: Bog

da

n M

(CC

BY-

NC

4.0

)

A new disciplinary code for staff on probation was agreed in 2019. This is thefirst time that staff on probation have had access to a disciplinary process.

National Secretary Derek Mullen has described this move as a very welcome development. He told CSQ: “We have workedhard to achieve a successful outcome tothese negotiations and while the new code isnot as robust as the main code, it does offer

important protection under the key principlesof natural justice and due process.”

In a more serious development thoughPublic Expenditure had sought to devolvesanction for dismissal to principal officerlevel, a proposal that is being resisted by theunion. This matter is ongoing as CSQ goes topress and we are also discussing contingen-cies to deal with disciplinary cases onlineduring the crisis.

dIScIPlInArY code

‘Important protection’ in new code

Fórsa is examining family leave issues aris-ing out of a number of motions, includingleave sought to accompany elderly/youngrelatives to medical appointments.

In discussions with management, whilethere has been a degree of sympathy ex-pressed by them over this issue, they havehighlighted in reply the recent significantchanges to bereavement leave.

They indicated that in circumstances

eQUAlITY ISSUeS: matters under discussion pre-covid...Parental leave age limit

IndUSTrIAl relATIonS

1317covid-19

As we finalise this special online edition of CSQ we are also planning to have an online General Council thismonth. We are also starting to re-engage with what you might describe as normal industrial relations issues at departmental level and meetings on such non-Covid matters are starting to happen. We includein this issue some updates on business that were being dealt with centrally before the crisis struck.

Superannuation

Shorter working YearFórsa is seeking greater consistency in ap-plying the scheme. The union is also seek-ing to expand the options available toinclude periods of one, three, five, seven,nine, 11 or 12 weeks.

The current scheme allows leave in blocksof two, four, six, eight, 10 or 13 weeks. Italso permits three separate periods, pro-vided each is not less than two weeks andthe total does not exceed 13 weeks.

where such a significant change had been se-cured, it would be very difficult to secure addi-tional improvements in family leave in the shortterm. The change in bereavement leave cov-ered some 40 organisations and involvedsome 37,000 employees.

We had asked DPER to ensure that membersare fully aware of the implications of job sharing, special leave etc. for superannuationbenefits.

18

ONLINE SPECIAL CSQ

18General Council Update

‘remote proctoring’ system. This is whencandidates are tested from home or anotherremote base. We have advised DPER andPAS that we will oppose remote proctoringin the future unless they can fully guaranteethat it works.

Another important factor raised by theunion – and, indeed, some members – is thequestion of reasonable accommodation forstaff with disabilities.

We are dealing with this question again atour next meeting with PAS as there is clearprima facie evidence to suggestdiscrimination, and statistics on promotionfor members with disabilities has beensought. Discussions continue at this time.

SelecTIon ProcedUreS

PAS/DPER defend current wayof testing large volume compsIn our discussions with PAS and DPER theyhave resolutely defended the testing processes for shortlisting in large volumecompetitions. They use a range of techniques for various competitions.

These are: psychometric tests; jobsimulation/work sample exercises;situational judgement; group exercises;case study/strategic exercises;presentation exercises; role play exercises;video/PC based job simulations; mediaexercises; biodata/skills experiencequestionnaires; assessment centres;personality questionnaires; and interviews.

Fórsa has received many complaints frommembers about the use of these various processes – firstly, over technicalissues (as the process is online), and secondly relating to issues about testingand the subsequent validation process.Some queries were also raised aboutscoring and feedback.

In presentations to the civil serviceunions, both DPER and PAS havecommitted to resolving technical issues butchallenged us on what on what ouralternative might be for shortlisting largevolumes of candidates.

A significant issue has also arisen inGarda and elsewhere over the use of a

Picture: Satis Krishnamurthy (CC BY 2.0)

TeSTInG A range of techniques are used...

PSSA

oTHer newS...

There are two distinct review procedures pro-vided for under Section 7 and Section 8 of theCPSA Codes of Practice.

As CSQ goes to press, Fórsa has lodged aclaim at Council seeking a fundamental reviewof the appeals process given the view that thecurrent system is hard to access and does notserve the appellants well.

Appeals process reviewsought by Fórsa

The agreement under the Public Service Sta-bility Agreement for Executive Officer gradesequences are set out below and apply for athree-year period from August 1, 2018 to July31, 2021:

l Temporary EO sequencesOpen 40%, IDP 30%, Internal 30%. The

sequence will be: open, internal, interdepart-mental, open, internal, open, interdepartmen-tal, open, internal, interdepartmental.

The previous sequencing arrangement were50% open; 25% internal and 25% interde-partmental.

l HEO LevelAt HEO level there is provision to have one

in six posts at HEO level filled openly, but onlyfor specialist posts, rarely used but beingpushed a bit more now. This provision was es-tablished in a national agreement.

The proportion of posts to be filled from in-terdepartmental promotion competitions atHEO level remains at 40%, as agreed underthe terms of Sustaining Progress (Paragraph22.17(ii)). This means that in a sequence of va-cancies, the second and fourth will be filledfrom the interdepartmental panel and the bal-ance departmentally.

l AO/HEO issuesFórsa is also processing claims seeking par-

ity for AOs working in HEO roles and also seek-ing to ensure that members are not precludedfrom taking a HEO promotion after taking anassignment from an AO panel.

Sequence arrangementsrelating to 2018 deal

Temporary clerical officersAt the end of August 2018 there were 1,773(FTE) TCOs in the civil service. This matter isbeing reviewed by the DEC with concern overthe high numbers of TCOs, particularly in So-cial Protection.

The union is contemplating a revision of theagreement on the use of temporary staff to en-sure that overall numbers are reduced to ac-ceptable levels and that fixed-term contractsdo not become the norm for long term projects.

A claim to this effect is near agreement atGeneral Council and during our discussions wehave managed to decrease the number ofTCOs to less than 1,000.

#HiddenHeroes

As harbour master Harry, and his team of 11 staff,help to keep the seafood chain operating throughoutthe crisis. They also work with EU trawlersto complete declarations of healthprior to entering ports. Harry also works with port health officer and the HSE.

Harry McLoughlinSFPA,. Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

FÓrSA MeMBerS FIGHTInG coVId-19...

#HiddenHeroes

Edel is a clerical officer working in the department ofsocial protection. She has been part of a team of peopleprocessing thousands ofadditional applications for social protection since theonset of Covid-19 crisis.

Edel MeaneyClerical Officer, DEASP

CSQ ONLINE SPECIAL

General Council Update

objections over newattendance proposals

Fórsa sets out newtechnology principles

Promotions policy reviewed by dec

Discussions aimed at extending the new civilservice mobility scheme to Dublin concludedsuccessfully in 2019 for clerical officers andexecutive officers.

Since then we have been concentrating onextending this important scheme to HEOs,AOs and APs.

A target date has been set for the monthof May. However, we will now have to waituntil we get past the Covid crisis.

Thousands of COs and EOs have appliedfor transfers since the scheme waslaunched. However, as CSQ goes to press,

we are having to address some necessaryadjustments to the scheme given the numbers of posts being turned down. This islikely related to the number of locations thatan individual member can express an interestin.

Issues have also arisen over reasonableaccommodation for members with disabili-ties which has led to revisions of text underterms and conditions, including an assessment process. However, this will notbe used as a means to impede moves underthe mobility scheme.

Extending scheme to HEOs, AOs and APs...

Improvements in the percentage ofhigher scales available for clerical offi-cers were achieved in 2018. The long-standing entitlement to higher scales of15% of the grade was increased to 20%in 2018 and 25% from January 1, 2019.

Claims seeking further improvementsare now before General Council but areunlikely to be agreed in the short term,given the recent positive developments.In particular, we are pursuing access tohigher scales for all in the grade.

We are currently considering a referralto arbitration.

Arbitration referralconsidered by Fórsa

HIGHer ScAleS

MoBIlITY

Discussions will continue at General Councilover arrangements for red weather alerts. However, compensatory arrangements, including the availability of TOIL, are causingsome difficulty for those staff who are con-sidered essential.

Appropriate credits, be it leave or time onthe clock, is also a factor for those staffmembers who cannot make it to work.

As this report is being finalised we areawaiting an arbitration hearing on these matters. It is important that each organisa-tion has a communications plan for employ-ees – and customers, if relevant – to coversevere weather situations.

Red Weather alerts

Fórsa has also reached agreement onnew guidelines governing the manage-ment of probation in the civil service.These new guidelines should bring a levelof consistency across departments andorganisations in the treatment of staff onprobation, following both recruitmentand promotion. However, we have soughtstatistics on probation from manage-ment both in respect of dismissals andpromotion reversion as we are detectinga spike in cases as we enter 2020.

Agreement reachedProBATIon

oTHer newS...

Proposals for a new attendance manage-ment policy have run into difficulty at GeneralCouncil. This is because management havesought to use the same approach as the un-derperformance policy which allows forwarnings under the disciplinary code.

This approach hasn’t been effective for un-derperformance and in the view of the unionshould not be adopted for the managementof attendance.

Fórsa has also objected to long-term – andlikely serious – illness absences beingtreated under the same category as otherattendance difficulties.

Fórsa has made a submission to Public Ex-penditure as part of the union’s response tocivil service management proposals over the procurement of new technologies, on foot ofan automation pilot that has been under wayin a small number of civil service depart-ments over the last year.

The submission set out important unionprinciples that we believe should be reflectedin the roll out of new technology.

Ultimately Fórsa’s support for technologi-cal advancement and greater automation will be based on a commitment to some ofimportant principles.

Though we acknowledge the world of workwill change (as will society), this change mustbe achieved equitably and well remuneratedcivil and public service jobs must continue tobe key to the delivery of better public services. Obviously, this now a key issue aris-ing out of the Covid crisis.

The DEC has been conducting a review ofcompetitions policy following on from manymotions at conference in 2018 and 2019,taking particular account of selection mechanisms in large volume competitions.

It was noted that volumes had increasedfor various reasons including the cross-stream promotion agreement in the civil service.

coMPS PolIcY Vote at 2019 conference

19