News Information
News Summary:
Workers at Teagasc, the state agriculture and food development authority, have been effectively locked out of their employment since the beginning of January.News Content:
The nine employees had been on fixed term contracts. The Labour Court made a recommendation, in June 2009, that they be made permanent employees as a result of a case brought by SIPTU and IMPACT trade unions, who represent the workers. Seven of the workers are farm advisors and two are administrative workers.
However, when the staff turned up for work after Christmas they were informed by management to go home because they were ‘out of contract’. It has emerged that two government departments – Finance and Agriculture - need to sanction these posts but have not yet done so.
The workers are staging a protest today (Thursday 28th January) at the Teagasc Head Office, Oak Park, Carlow.
Shay Clinton, assistant general secretary for IMPACT said; ‘These workers have been treated in an intolerable manner, despite the Labour Court ruling last June. The court issued a further clarification on 16th December. Despite this, they are still denied their employment.”
The clarification issued by the court in December 2009 stated that; “Those who qualify for contracts of indefinite duration by virtue of their service under the Act (Fixed term work) as envisaged under LCR 18034 should be made permanent.”
At the Labour Court hearing in June 2009, the unions argued that the REPS planning service in which the dismissed workers were engaged is extremely important to the farming community and, as the need still existed for the service to be delivered, it was not a valid redundancy situation.
The unions also pointed out that the REPS service is self-financing and, as a result, not a financial burden on the organisation. They said it was unacceptable that the REPS workers contracts were not being renewed on the basis of the recruitment and promotion ban which had been introduced in the public service.
Jane Boushell, branch organiser with SIPTU said, “It is unacceptable that having been through the states industrial relations process that two government departments are now ignoring their responsibilities.”
Both unions have said that industrial action is likely to follow today’s protest as other Teagasc staff support the affected workers. IMPACT has already served strike notice on Teagasc.
The nine employees are employed in Teagasc offices in Tipperary South, Westmeath, Mayo, Cavan, Waterford, Donegal, and Kerry.
