Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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321. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government what interventions his Department have made in the matter of FORSA and its industrial action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40966/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 335 together.

Under the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible and each local authority is an individual employer. The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) provides support to local authority management in this regard.

The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform is responsible for public pay policy. I have no role in respect of this dispute.

With regard to the Forsa-led industrial action relating to a job evaluation claim, I am aware that talks concluded without resolution at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in July. It was open thereafter for Forsa to utilise the provisions of the Public Service Agreement and / or the State Industrial Relations process. Forsa, instead, escalated immediately to industrial action.

Government has engaged with staff representative associations collectively since the early days of social partnership to reach a decision on multi-annual pay agreements for public servants. The current agreement, Building Momentum, runs to the end of 2023 and provides a 9.5% pay increase over 3 years for most public servants, increasing to 12.5% for lower paid staff. All forms of industrial action are precluded in respect of any matters relating to remuneration or to any matter covered by the Agreement.

It is important that the industrial relations mechanisms available are utilised and in this regard I understand that both parties attended conciliation at the WRC on 25 September. Following this engagement, the parties have agreed that subject to the provisions of the next Public Service Agreement, there will be further engagement on the matter.