The trade union Impact is to consider withdrawing co-operation from the Government's decentralisation programme in a row over the future role of professional and technical grade staff in the Office of Public Works (OPW).
Impact yesterday accused the Minister of State at the OPW, Tom Parlon, of reneging on commitments given last May on technical and professional staff such as architects, engineers and archaeologists under the decentralisation programme.
Impact national secretary Louise O'Donnell said that its decentralisation sub-committee would hold a special meeting early next month to consider the issue.
She said the sub-committee would examine options such as a ban on its members across the Civil Service participating in advance parties moving to decentralised locations. Other options included a refusal to cover vacant posts or of holding a ballot on industrial action.
Impact said that there were 100 professional or technical staff in the OPW who did not want to move to Trim, Co Meath next year as part of the decentralisation process.
Ms O'Donnell said that at the meeting in May, Mr Parlon had agreed that specialist OPW staff who did not want to move to Trim could continue to do their existing jobs from Dublin or be given other suitable work within the organisation.
She said that Mr Parlon had also agreed that there would be no "parallel recruitment" or duplicate recruitment of new staff to take on the work of those who chose to remain in Dublin.
However, she said that in a follow-up letter in July the Minister had made no reference to these commitments.
She said that instead the Minister had stated that posts outside of the OPW could be provided for staff who opted not to move.
A spokesman for the Minister told The Irish Times last night that he was not prepared to comment on Impact's allegations.
