Workers from South Dublin County Council will go on strike for two days later this month as the dispute over pay cuts intensifies at the local authority.
The trade union Impact, which represents council workers, said the two-week old disagreement began when council management cut the wages for 13 employees and revealed plans for reduce pay for another 150 workers.
The union said under the new plan the “acting payment” will be ended – which many of those staff receive, some for as long as 12 years, for the extra work they carry out with additional responsibilities.
Impact official Peter Nolan said workers would still be expected to do the same work for lower pay.
Mr Nolan said staff had received support from councillors when they protested at the first council meeting last week.
“Impact has repeatedly told management it is willing to deal with the issue through established procedures and we just want a fair process to do this,” he said.
“Council staff have already experienced substantial pay cuts – averaging 14 per cent – imposed on them in 2009 and 2010. Some of them, those earning over €65,000 a year, experienced a further pay cut in 2013. This is on top of the increased taxes and charges experienced by workers across the economy.”
Impact has served notice on two one-day strikes to take place Tuesday, June 24th and Thursday, June 26th in South Dublin County Council.
It said the union members had implemented a limited industrial action 14 days ago including withdrawing phone cover between 12pm-2.30pm each day, an overtime ban, not co-operating with evening meeting and refusing to carry out duties at a higher grade.
Members had also place further restrictions phone cover in county hall, the Clondalkin civic office, libraries and depots.
A spokeswoman for South Dublin County Council said they had been informed of the escalating industrial action starting from June 16th.
“This is a clear breach of the Haddington Road Agreement. Withdrawal from core duties and participation in work stoppages will be dealt with in the appropriate manner,” she said.
“The origins of the dispute are that 10 staff at senior management level had acting or project allowances removed because the justification for these temporary allowances no longer existed.”
The spokeswoman said the cuts were part of a national work force planning exercise being carried out within all local authorities.
“This in turn will lead to the filling of vacancies through internal competition where there are justified and necessary and the consequent removal of ad hoc acting arrangements,” she said.
She said all parts of the plan needed the approval of the Department of the Environment Community and Local Government.
“The initial element of the plan involving senior management has been approved by the Department and is in the process of implementation,” she said.
