While many unions are under pressure to put in Dublin weighting pay claims, FAS staff in the Donegal Gaeltacht have been looking for extra money to teach through Irish. The 21 staff in the Gweedore training centre seeking the 7.5 per cent allowance paid to gardai, public health nurses and some civil servants working in Gaeltacht areas had their claim rejected by the Labour Court.
A SIPTU branch secretary, Mr Paddy Trehy, asked how the use of Irish could be encouraged without financial incentives. He said Eircom operators received a weekly allowance of £21 for fluency in French and an extra £16 if they have two other languages.
Teachers working through Irish receive £730 a year and those in the Gaeltacht receive £1,415. However, Mr Trehy said, the Department of Finance was putting pressure on State agencies to interpret the 1966 statutory instrument, under which the 7.5 per cent Irish allowance operates in the public service, as narrowly as possible.
In the case of the Gweedore claim, FAS management argued that training had been provided through Irish for the past 27 years, and people accepting posts there knew that they would be working mainly through Irish. They said conceding the claim could lead to knock-on claims from 2,000 other staff.
They also referred to the pay implications for the Civil Service, where staff enjoy a pay relativity link with FAS. The Civil and Public Service Union recently lost a claim for the 7.5 per cent allowance for members in Duchas.