THE CIVIL Public and Services Union (CPSU) has said that it expects members to support proposals for strike action over public service pay cuts in a ballot to be counted today.
The general secretary of the CPSU, Blair Horan, said last night that he believed the ballot would be carried “comfortably”.
If carried, the ballot would give the union a mandate to engage in strikes in selected areas of the civil service in protest at the cuts.
This could see the union bringing out on strike relatively small numbers of staff in key areas as part of any overall escalated campaign.
In such a scenario, it is likely the staff involved would receive “enhanced” strike pay from the union for the course of such a dispute.
The CPSU is the first union to conduct a strike ballot since the Government cut public service pay levels in the budget.
Separately yesterday, Siptu president Jack O’Connor said if there were no Government proposals soon to deal with the public sector pay issue or a robust engagement that had the potential to produce such proposals, trade unions could either “launch a serious industrial campaign or fold up their tent”.
He suggested a deadline of four to six weeks “at the outside” for such developments.
Mr O’Connor said the current low-level industrial action campaign in the public service over pay cuts could not be sustained much longer.
The general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) David Begg said there was a period of around six weeks to find some way of solving the public sector pay issue. He said the current industrial action would inevitably build and there was a danger that it could come to a head.
He told RTÉ's This Weekprogramme "it would be unconscionable if we allowed it to build to a head without trying seriously to resolve the differences between us".
Over the last five weeks or so staff in the civil and public service have been engaging in relatively low level industrial action.
The CPSU, which represents lower-paid civil servants, has been engaged in actions such as not answering phone calls and closing public counters in various Government departments at different times of the day.
Members of the CPSU and the PSEU (Public Sector Executive Union) were behind the actions last Friday that closed passport offices in Dublin and Cork as well as various Department of Social and Family Affairs’ facilities.
From tomorrow members of the Impact union in the health sector are to stop answering phones in various parts of the country.
The Health Service Executive has warned that staff who refuse to carry out core work will be redeployed to other duties – a move that could produce a potential flashpoint.
Next week Impact will put proposals before a meeting of the public services committee of Ictu for an escalation in the overall campaign, which would involve rolling work stoppages.
In a circular to members last Friday Mr Horan urged that the current ban on dealing with parliamentary questions should be applied in all Government departments.
He also said that in some instances, Fianna Fáil TDs had been getting around the industrial action by securing replies to representations made to departments on behalf of constituents through ministers’ offices. He urged members “to close off this loophole”.
The results of a ballot for industrial action at Bank of Scotland (Ireland), which is being undertaken by the Unite trade union, will also be known today.
Meanwhile, a workers’ alliance held a gathering in Trlaee, Co Kerry this weekend demanding a reversal in pay cuts. The group, whose members include teachers, nurses, and civil servants will picket the office of former Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue next weekend. Spokesman Simon Quinn said the group may run candidates in the next elections.
