NEWS 17
WRC issues set of proposals for difficulties at St Patrick’s, Kilkenny Problems relate to rostering and stepping back from promotional posts
of 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 hour shifts can apply to any roster, but each roster should incorpo- rate a reasonable mix of these, subject to a maximum of eight shifts per fortnight. This will apply on a pro-rata basis for those on reduced hours as is the norm.” Post-2017 contracts Staff employed after March 2017 will also be encompassed by t he ro l l i ng p red i c t i ve element of the roster, irre- spective of being employed on contracts requiring them to work a maximum of five shifts a week. In addition, in the event of 39-hour contracts becoming available in the future, staff on post-2017 contracts of 30 hours per week will be given first offer of increasing their existing contracts to 39 hours per week. Stepping back/down from promotional posts In relation to ‘stepping back/down’ from promotional posts in the service, manage- ment committed at the WRC
to reviewing the role of team leaders in the service “in the context of full de-congrega- tion and stabilisation” of the service. The unions have insisted that such a review be a joint exercise involving the three unions representing staff in St Patrick’s Centre, and focusing on the workload of the team leader posts in the context of the previously agreed team leader job description. Speaking on the matter, INMO IRO Liz Curran said: “This WRC outcome addresses some of the long-running issues in dispute in St Pat- rick’s Centre, particularly with regards to rostering arrange- ments and contracted hours for part-time staff. “A joint general meeting of the INMO, SIPTU and FORSA members was held on Septem- ber 10 to discuss the proposals with staff in St Patrick’s Centre, and a ballot on the propos- als will be held in the coming weeks for INMO members working at the centre.”
A number of issues of dispute in St Patrick’s Centre, Kilkenny were jointly referred to the Workplace Relations Commis- sion by the INMO, SIPTU and FORSA trade unions, who rep- resent members at the centre. Among the long-running issues in dispute are roster- ing arrangements, ‘stepping back/down’ from promotional posts, and matters relating to part-time contracts for staff employed since 2017 in the service. A conciliation conference was held on June 17, 2019 and the WRC issued proposals on August 19, 2019. Rostering arrangements These proposals commit management and unions to adhering to the Roster Toolkit which was agreed in the ser- vice in 2018, including the consultation process included therein. This is important as members had been reporting that management was not consulting appropriately with them in relation to rosters prior to the WRC hearing. Mater Private pay increase The INMO sought payment of the 1.75% increase for its members in the Mater Private Hospital from Sep- tember 1, 2019 in line with the Public Service Pay Agree- ment (PSSA). The Organisation has now received confirmation from the hospital that the pay- ment has been approved. It is expected that the increase will be paid to members shortly. – Albert Murphy, INMO IRO
Liz Curran, INMO IRO: “TheWRC outcome addresses some of the long-running issues in dispute”
It was also proposed that, for staff employed prior to March 2017, management in St Patrick’s Centre will draft eight-week ‘rolling predictive rosters’ which will mean that “the first week of a roster rolls over onto the ninth week of the roster”. In addition, theWRC propos- als state that “a combination A very successful Basic Rep Training course was held for INMO activists in Cork and Kerry on September 17-18, 2019. “Members said the training course was both relevant to them and met their require- ments to represent local members and potential mem- bers of the Organisation. With enthusiasm they headed back to their workplaces to encour- age local activism, and update and share information with colleagues. They look forward
Rep training for Cork and Kerry activists
to attending more INMO train- ing events,” said Mary Power INMO assistant director of industrial relations, who ran
the course with colleagues Dave Hughes, deputy general secretary, and Liam Conway, IRO in the region.
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