Unions angered by Civil Service 'absenteeism' report

Public service unions have hit out at implications contained in a Government briefing document suggesting that there is absenteeism in the Civil Service.

The unsigned document, prepared for the Government last month and obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by The Irish Times, states that decentralisation will result in reduced absenteeism, reduced staff turnover and greater productivity in the public service.

The general secretary of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, Mr Seán O'Riordan, said yesterday he was surprised at the briefing.

"I am not aware that absenteeism or staff turnover is an issue in the public and Civil Service. I don't know how these conclusions were arrived at."

The assistant general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union, Mr Tom Geraghty, said he didn't see the automatic link between decentralisation and reduced absenteeism. "Absenteeism is very low in the civil service anyway," he said.

Ms Rosaline Glackin, deputy general secretary of the Civil and Public Service Union, said the claims were a "spin" by the Government.

"There isn't a problem with absenteeism in the public and Civil Service. Staff turnover was an issue during the Celtic Tiger years but is not now."

The briefing document states that additional costs are likely to arise through decentralisation in travel and subsistence, staff training and technology.

"The Minister intends to ask the Implementation Committee to consider how such costs might be minimised through greater use of technology such as video conferencing, by introducing car pools for regional departmental headquarters and by bulk purchase of overnight accommodation in Dublin.

"The programme can be expected to generate cost savings in terms of reduced absenteeism, reduced staff turnover and generally greater productivity," says the report. It states that decentralisation will require more widespread use of technologies such as e-mail and video conferencing.

The move will also present opportunities to change work practices, introduce flexibility and open up recruitment opportunities to a new cohort of locally-based staff who may not otherwise be available to the civil service, it added.

The implementation committee is expected to make its first report to Government in March.