Dail secretaries will refuse to answer the telephones in Leinster House today in a row over compensation for moving to a new office block. The compensation claim by SIPTU, on behalf of some 60 secretaries, was lodged following the move in October to the new £25 million wing of Leinster House.
SIPTU regional secretary Mr Brendan Hayes said the secretaries, who bore the brunt of the work associated with the move to the new offices, had been treated "disgracefully" by the Department of Finance and the Government.
He said they were left with little option but to take some form of industrial action to secure a realistic offer commensurate with the level of work involved.
"Staff moved into offices which were virtually a building site, with exposed cables hanging from walls and work taking place all around them. Despite this, they worked continually to ensure there was a minimum disruption to the functioning of the Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas," Mr Hayes said.
Following the initial move, the secretaries had been seeking £2,000 each for moving to the new office block. However, despite the additional work involved since, this figure had been considerably reduced, according to Mr Hayes.
Dail ushers received a once-off payment of £600 for agreeing to stay in Leinster House late while work on the new office block was being completed.