Striking council workers to begin talks with management over pay dispute

Talks between management and South Dublin County Council workers are set to get under way today as workers begin the first of a two-day strike action over pay conditions.

The month-old disagreement stems from council management’s decision to cut the pay of 13 employees, with a further 150 pay reductions also in the offing following plans released by the council to curb the “acting payment” made available to those who undertake additional tasks.

New council chairman Fintan Warfield of Sinn Féin says there have been no negotiations between unions and management so far, despite a protest organised by the Impact trade union attracting more than 400 demonstrators outside council headquarters last week.

However, talks will be held during the strikes today and Thursday ahead of the council’s finance committee meeting on Friday. “At this stage there’s been no movement from council management,” said Mr Warfield, whose party is in support of the strikers’ actions. “Sinn Féin have a motion coming up in July in support of the workers, and none of the Sinn Féin councillors for South Dublin will be passing the picket line on Tuesday or Thursday,” he said.

The strikes mark an acceleration in industrial action from those who are subject to cuts after they withdrew phone coverage between noon and 2.30pm each day, along with the imposition of an overtime ban as well as a refusal to co-operate with evening meetings. The move has been condemned by South Dublin County Council which believes it to be “in clear breach” of the terms of the Haddington Road agreement, and which says it is merely enforcing a national workforce planning exercise being carried out across all local authorities.

Impact maintains that it is unfair that employees, some of whom have provided more than 12 years of service to the council, are being forced to take on extra responsibilities without the accompanying pay bonus.