LOWER-PAID civil servants are expected to decide today to step up industrial action in protest at pay cuts introduced by the Government in the budget.
For the last several days, members of the Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) have been staging half-day bans on answering telephones in various regions of the Republic.
The union has also closed a number of public offices, including the Passport Office, and a number of social welfare facilities at lunchtime.
However, the strike committee of the CPSU is expected to consider intensifying this campaign when it meets today.
Informed sources said that the union would look at introducing whole-day telephone bans in various regions as well as further lunchtime protests.
The union is also expected to consider introducing “targeted action” which would involve bringing groups of workers in particular areas out on strike.
Under the proposal, these workers would receive enhanced strike pay in the course of the dispute.
Such a move would not be introduced immediately but could be put in place in the weeks ahead.
The CPSU’s strike committee is also expected to consider how it would respond if any member engaged in industrial action is suspended by public service management.
CPSU general secretary Blair Horan warned last week that if members were suspended, there would be strikes.
The Cabinet last week considered a memo drawn up by the Department of Finance which warned that staff who refused to carry out duties could face suspension.
To date, public service management have adopted a “softly-softly” approach to the industrial action by staff.
However, at a special conference of the CPSU, last week delegates backed proposals to step up the campaign.
Separately yesterday Peter McLoone, general secretary of the largest public sector union, Impact, said that there could be further disruption as the campaign of industrial action against the pay cuts intensified.
“We are beginning the first phase of a campaign that will be rolled out completely in the course of the next week,” he said
Mr McLoone said the unions were withholding co-operation with new changes sought by the Government and would also advise members to withhold co- operation, which they had been providing on a voluntary basis over recent times.
“If the entire public service withholds co-operation, which has been on offer on a voluntary basis over the last 18 months to allow the Government and agencies to exist in the context of the moratorium on recruitment, the effects of that will be felt,” he said.
In an interview with RTÉ Radio's This Weekprogramme, Mr McLoone said he could envisage a situation in which the Government would find it very difficult to provide services at the same levels as it has over the past year and a half.
He said that public service staff in that time had been covering for the fact that a huge number of jobs had been taken out of the system as a result of the moratorium on recruitment introduced by the Government.
The Government has also put in place an incentivised early retirement scheme and a new career break arrangement in an attempt to reduce the numbers on the State payroll.
Mr McLoone also said that, for example, waiting lists in the health service could lengthen as a result of the industrial action introduced by the trade unions in protest at the pay cuts.