A claim by the Taoiseach yesterday that civil servants seeking promotion do not have to sign up for decentralisation does not reflect current practice, a union leader said yesterday.
However, Mr Seán Ó Riordáin, of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, said Mr Ahern's assertion was "very, very welcome" if it represented a change in policy.
Mr Ahern told the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, in the Dáil that there was no truth in the claim that promotions were being restricted to civil servants who were willing to move.
Mr Ó Riordáin said the comments did not accord with current practice, or with the stance taken by the Department of Finance.
A policy of restricting promotions to those willing to decentralise was being applied to those transferring between Departments, which comprised one in three jobs being filled.
