"He said the union had sought talks with the Local Government Management Agency for over five years. He added that they want to discuss pay, grading and recognition for ICT roles. "There is an existential threat to government services if they don't take it seriously," he said. "There would be inevitable impacts on people in the political system, to the public and internal users.""
"Officials at their union, ­Fórsa, claim there have been years of management inaction to recognise their professional status, pay and responsibilities. They said information and communication technology (ICT) staff who work in local government are angry because their pay has been static for years. A senior official at Fórsa said industrial action would "inevitably" impact public services if it goes ahead."
"It's demoralising to see our work undervalued while expectations rise "Our members are organising on this critical issue, and that's why this ballot is taking place." He said workloads for ICT staff have grown in scale and complexity, but wages have not increased. Mr Carrothers said the fact that it is mandatory for staff to have third-level qualifications acknowledges that their roles have fundamentally changed. He said pay and grading have not kept pace."
Fórsa reports that local government ICT staff have experienced years of static pay and insufficient recognition despite growing workloads and mandatory third-level qualifications. Negotiations with the Local Government Management Agency have run for over five years without tangible progress, despite proposals, reports and Workplace Relations Commission discussions. Low morale among ICT staff threatens government digitalisation goals and creates an existential risk to service delivery if unresolved. A ballot for industrial action has been organised as members seek updated pay, grading and formal recognition for the changed scale and complexity of ICT roles.
Read at Irish Independent
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