Time running out for disability staff
Wednesday 21st December 2011
Eight workers employed by the People With Disabilities Ireland (PWDI) are facing redundancy at the end of December as the agency’s funding has been terminated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence. Read more HERE.
Consultations planned on overtime and premium payments
Tuesday 6th December 2011
Unions have been assured that planned measures to cut spending on allowances and premium payments will be done within the scope of the Croke Park agreement, which does not allow for cuts in the rates themselves. Read more HERE.
Spending and employment cuts a huge challenge
Monday 5th December 2011
Maintaining the level and quality of public services with 6,000 fewer staff and €1.4 billion less current spending, against a background of growing demand for services, will be a huge challenge. That was IMPACT’s reaction to yesterday’s Government statement of 2012 public spending and staffing plans. REad more HERE.
Disability staff face redundancy as funding is cut
Friday 2nd December 2012
Five staff members at People With Disabilities Ireland (PWDI) have been put on notice after justice minister Alan Shatter said his department would no longer fund the agency. The organisation, which is run by people with disabilities, their families and carers, provides a range of services to people throughout the country. Read more HERE.
HSE U-turn on travel expenses after IMPACT intervention
Friday 2nd December 2011
IMPACT has welcomed the reversal of the HSE's decision to defer the reimbursement of transport costs incurred by its staff. The move came the day after the union wrote to health minister James Reilly urging him to instruct the HSE to think again. Read more HERE.
IMPACT calls on health minister to reverse HSE decision to delay travel payments
Wednesday 30th November 2011
IMPACT official Louise O’Donnell has called on health minister James Reilly to instruct HSE management to reverse its decision to delay the payment of travel costs already incurred by HSE staff. Read more HERE.
Rural and urban health services will suffer if HSE stops meeting transport costs
Tuesday 29th November 2011
Rural and urban health services will suffer badly if the HSE refuses to cover the transport costs incurred by social workers, environmental health officers, care workers, public health nurses and other health staff, IMPACT said this evening (Tuesday). The union was responding to a surprise HSE media statement that it was to stop paying transport costs for staff who deliver services to people’s homes and community health centres, and those who enforce public health regulations. Read more HERE.
Public service leave to be capped at 32 days
Wednesday 16th November 2011
New Government proposals, which envisage no cuts in leave for the great majority of public servants, will mean that no existing public servant gets more than 32 days leave from next year. The cap, which will fall to 30 days for new entrants, would come into effect in 2012. Read more HERE.
IMPACT to respond if private managers imposed
Friday 11th November 2011
IMPACT has said it will advise members how to respond if the HSE proceeds with its proposal to impose a team of private sector managers in the Limerick hospital group. Read more HERE.
HSE West management tender: More expensive bureaucracy?
Tuesday 1st November 2011
IMPACT national secretary LOUISE O’DONNELL says the HSE West management tender is an underhand attempt to bypass the public service pay cap while adding an expensive new layer of management bureaucracy in our health services. Read more HERE.
IMPACT responds to sick leave criticism
Saturday 1st Ocotber 2011
IMPACT members in the HSE West region were criticised last month as figures showed higher than average sick leave levels among staff, particularly in Ennis and Limerick hospitals. Read more HERE.
A Line in the Sand
September 2011
By Veronica O’Doherty, psychologist and IMPACT member (written in a personal capacity)
Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace. Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) Read more HERE.
Social workers prepare for fresh challenges
Wednesday 13th September 2011
Changes to the structure of child and family protection services in the HSE, the implementation of the Children First guidelines and the emerging challenges as the HSE prepares to separate child protection functions mean social workers and child care staff face challenging times in the coming months. Read more HERE.
Limerick medical records staff threaten strike over safety conditions
Friday 9th September 2011
Clerical and admin staff in the medical records department at Mid-West regional hospital, Dooradoyle, this week voted unanimously in favour of strike action over unsafe working conditions. Read more HERE.
IMPACT demands clarification of health recruitment policy
Monday 8th August 2011
IMPACT trade union has today (Monday) written to health minister James Reilly to seek clarification of the Government’s recruitment policy for child protection staff and other essential front-line professionals. The union says a decision by HSE management to override Government-determined exemptions from the public service recruitment embargo appeared to be a breach of Government policy. Read more HERE.
IMPACT welcomes new child protection guidelines
Thursday 21st July 2011
IMPACT has welcomed new national guidelines to protect children against abuse and neglect. The union represents social workers, social care workers, family protection and welfare staff, and other workers who regularly provide services to children. Read more HERE.
PRCS redeployment adjudication sets new standards
Wednesday 20th July 2011
An independent adjudication report on the first ‘essential’ staff redeployments under the Croke Park agreement could help establish standards for handling similar situations in other parts of the public service. It also made recommendations for handling future appeals against compulsory redeployment. Read more HERE.
Government reviewing plans for social work statutory registration fees
Monday 9th May 2011
The Government is reviewing its plans to charge social workers and social care workers €380 a year, or €175 a year for 2010 and 2011 graduates, after IMPACT raised the issue with health minister James Reilly. Read more HERE.
Early education centres run ‘no empty promises’ election campaign
Wednesday 9th March 2011
Twelve early education centres across Dublin ran a unique campaign during the general election urging politicians to ‘listen - but make no empty promises’. Management and staff at the centres, who are IMPACT members, decided to run the campaign following a series of budget cuts which has put the centres under increased pressure over the last 18 months. Read more HERE.
1,900 leave under health exit schemes
Thurdsay 6th January 2011
IMPACT is urging members to inform their local IMPACT branch of any local management proposals for reorganisation and redistribution of work following the exit of staff under the health service voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes. Read more HERE.
