HSE to look again at redeployment plan

THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) is to review its controversial proposals to allow it to redeploy staff on a compulsory basis to take on board the concerns raised by unions.

Last week the HSE drew a new protocol which would permit it to move staff to new locations up to 60km from their existing workplaces.

The move represented the first attempt by management in the public sector to introduce compulsory redeployment as part of the current reform process.

The Department of Finance is expected to put forward broadly similar redeployment proposals for staff in the Civil Service as part of talks on reform with unions which are to get under way today.

The Department of Finance told public sector unions at the start of the summer it considered provision for the redeployment of staff to be essential to facilitate the departure of personnel under new early-retirement and career-break schemes, while maintaining services.

Following a meeting with management yesterday, the secretary of the health group of unions, Kevin Callinan of Impact, said the HSE had said it would come back with revised proposals having taken into account their concerns.

Last night, HSE director of human resources Seán McGrath said redeployment was hugely important for the organisation, and it would continue to work with unions to ensure it could manage its resources in the best way possible.

In the original document issued last week, the HSE said the reconfiguration or rationalisation of services, the introduction of service-improvement initiatives and the cost-efficient deployment of resources would all require the redeployment of staff to meet service requirements.

“The HSE will require maximum co-operation from employees to redeployment requests having regard to an employee’s professional level of competence,” it stated.

The protocol said redeployment would generally be permitted to a location/service within a geographical area of 60km from the employee’s work base. Decisions on redeploying staff would take account of the employee’s home address and access to public transport.