THE Arts Council is expected to announce several initiatives in January following the resolution of a long running industrial dispute. The Department of Finance has approved a Labour Court settlement that will see nine new staff members recruited and some existing temporary staff made permanent and promoted.
The settlement provides for the appointment of three assistant directors to the council. They will be chosen through an internal civil service competition.
The Labour Court recommendation was issued last March and accepted by the Department of the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. But the Department of Finance refused to sanction the increased costs.
Several times during the year funding for major cultural events such as the Dublin Theatre Festival had appeared likely to have been blocked because of the dispute.
However, staff refrained from taking industrial action.
The Labour Court terms have come into operation with effect from November 22nd, but the issue of back dating has still to be resolved.
A SIPTU shop steward, Mr Dermot McLaughlin, says that staff are pleased that it has been possible to resolve the dispute without resorting to industrial action. "In fairness local management has acted speedily to implement the settlement and internal industrial relations have been good," he says.
Under the settlement terms six temporary clerical assistants are to be promoted to clerical officers and made permanent. The number of staff at executive assistant level is to be increased from four to 10 and three assistant directors are to be appointed.
The executive assistants will be given the pay and conditions of executive officers, and assistant directors will be on the equivalent of the assistant principal officer grade.