Blended working too important to be left to 'whims' of department chiefs, civil servants' union told

Paul Malone, deputy general secretary of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, criticized the Department of Social Protection for changing blended working policies without prior negotiation. His comments came during a union conference where he emphasized that any changes in working arrangements should be evidence-based and involve consultation with unions. This follows a previous incident where the department attempted to reduce remote work days without discussion, and although they reversed their decision, Malone insists that proper negotiation is vital for fair policies.

What we don't want and can't sustain is what happened in the Department of Social Protection recently where the department unilaterally changed its blended working policy without any recourse to engagement or discussion with either the association or our colleagues in Fórsa.

And that was based purely on an ideological position of the management board. The flexibility that blended working provides to our members is too important to be left to the whims of a secretary general or a management board.

Read at Irish Independent