ANY attempt by local authorities to introduce short term contracts for employees will be bitterly resisted, the IMPACT chairman, Mr Brian Naughton, told delegates to the union's conference in Bantry. He expressed concern at management proposals to recruit graduates directly into senior grades.
IMPACT represents 8,500 members in local authorities, ranging from manual workers to county managers. Mr Naughton said members were rightly concerned about the proposed Strategic Management Initiative for local government and the Department of the Environment's recent policy document, Better Local Government - A Programme for Change.
While these presented the union with new challenges, they also presented it "with new battles to fight", Mr Naughton said. "The management agenda of proceeding with change, without consultation, is in direct conflict with the proposed corporatist agenda of Partnership 2000 and we must meet this with an appropriate response.
The programme wants to move away from traditional recruitment procedures and recruit graduates directly into administrative grades. It also wants the type of fixed term contracts introduced for city and county managers in 1991 to be extended to other areas.
The programme proposes that short term contracts would be particularly useful for recruiting clerical, administrative and management staff for specific projects.
Mr Naughton asked: "Is the issue of contract working now to become a reality for us all? Are we now facing into an era of short term contracts with low job security? Has this become the management agenda? If so, we must resist this strenuously, vigorously and to the bitter end if needs be."