One of the country's largest unions has called for the Government to suspend its decentralisation programme.
In a statement today, Siptu said the project should be halted "before even more Exchequer funds are wasted on this ill-judged and unworkable scheme".
Owen Reidy, Siptu branch organiser, said that almost three years after the decision to decentralise thousands of civil and public servants, including over 2,000 State agency employees, little progress has been made.
"The Decentralisation Implementation Group acknowledges that there are specific 'problems' around decentralising State agency staff, yet three years on, the issues Siptu raised from day one have not been addressed," he said.
"It seems as if Government ministers believe that by merely repeating the mantra that decentralisation will happen and that the problems will be overcome is sufficient in dealing with the issue," he added.
He said the union was planning to make this an election issue.