Call for immediate engagement to resolve Council staffing crisis

Two Dublin Mid-West Sinn Féin councillors have expressed ‘serious concern’ at the council staffing crisis.

Councillors Derren Ó Brádaigh and William Carey say they are calling on the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien and the Local Government Management Agency to do ‘everything necessary’ to resolve the staffing crisis in the Local Government sector.

The call comes as Fórsa trade union members have initiated industrial action involving an indefinite ban on engagement with all political representatives.

Cllr Ó Darren Brádaigh said the crisis is impacting on all levels of service provision.

“Increasingly, I am finding it more and more difficult to obtain adequate responses to representations I am making on behalf of constituents or to directly speak with relevant personnel within departments in my own Council,” he said.

“The Local Government sector is in the midst of a retention and recruitment crisis and this is impacting on all levels of service provision.

“At the centre of this crisis is the refusal of Government and the Local Government Management Agency to work with workers and their representatives to address issues around job evaluation and pay.”

“Forsa, one of the largest unions representing Local Government workers has been calling on Government and the LGMA to undertake a formal job evaluation process to ensure workers jobs are properly graded and renumerated. Such ongoing job evaluation processes are standard in other jurisdictions.

“Despite initial engagement between the parties at the Workplace Relations Commission on this matter, the employer’s side are now refusing to negotiate.

“In turn Forsa members have initiated industrial action starting with an indefinite ban on engagement with all political representatives.”

Councillor William Carey said responsibility for the situation rests with the government.

“This will obviously have a very worrying impact on the ability of Councillors and TD’s to fully represent our constituents,” he said.

“However, the responsibility for this situation does not rest with the Local Government staff. The blame is solely the responsibility of Government and the LGMA.

“Once again, the Minister responsible, Darragh O’Brien, is silent on an issue which is impacting on thousands of workers and the people who rely on the services they provide.

“I am calling on all elected representatives to contact the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien, the LGMA and the Chief Executive of their Local Authority demanding that they return to the negotiation table and to agree a mechanism for progressing the job evaluation process and as key element of addressing the retention and recruitment crisis in Local Government.”