Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The group refers to the fact that some of the unions representing State agency members have adopted a stance of opposition to Government policy from the start. The group continues to highlight the importance of getting active discussions under way with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on a range of industrial relations issues impacting on the relocation. The Department of Finance has written to ICTU and has had some discussions with it with a view to forming a small group to explore whether progress can be made on this issue. ICTU has not yet replied but is examining the possibility of doing this. The Department of Finance has suggested the introduction of an arrangement which would allow transferability of staff between agencies. This has never happened since the foundation of the State. It is considered by the unions as new and is not something most of the agency staff want. The Government believes it should be possible to put together a scheme under which staff could transfer within agencies because, although the numbers are not as high as in the Civil Service, a substantial number of people working in the agencies want to move and they should be facilitated in doing so.

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