Staff in parts of the Civil Service will retain existing working-from-home arrangements pending a new talks process.
The move heads-off a potentially serious dispute in the Department of Social Protection from next week over what critics had described as attempts by the Government to row back on remote working rules introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters in Cork that the issues would be resolved through an industrial relations process.
The Irish Times reported on Friday that the Department of Social Protection had sought to have staff work from the office more frequently from next week.
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The department had said personnel would have to spend a minimum of two days per week in the office. Staff in senior management grades, principal officer level and above, would have to be in the office three days per week at least.
Fórsa, the country’s largest public service trade union, had vowed to fight the move and instructed members not to comply with the proposed changes.
It accused Department of Social Protection management of seeking to unilaterally change the conditions of employment for about 1,000 members.
The union warned it would ballot for industrial action to protect any members who faced disciplinary action for following its instructions on continuing to operate under the existing remote working arrangements.
However, the union on Friday afternoon said staff would retain their existing blended working arrangements while an industrial relations process was carried out.
The department said it had met union officials on Friday and offered to use agreed dispute resolution mechanisms.
“The department will encourage and support staff who wish to work under the new blended working policy. Staff who wish to retain their existing attendance arrangements will be allowed to do so pending the outcome of any dispute resolution process,” it said.
Fórsa had also maintained that some staff in the Department of Finance faced changes to their remote working arrangements.
However, the Department of Finance said there was no change to its remote working policy.
Mr Martin said there was a “balance to be struck” in the Civil Service.
[ Ireland joins global row-back on working-from-home arrangementsOpens in new window ]
“Most companies have a situation where it could be three days in the office and two days at home and vice versa,” he said.
“It depends on the nature of work that is involved. There is an argument for people to meet as a team in various programmes and projects. So I think that will be worked out in the industrial relations process.”
The Department of Social Protection had earlier defended its proposed reforms.
“Based on experience and the level of take-up by staff, the provision for up to three days working from home in any week is considered reasonable and is in line with arrangements already in place in other Government departments and as provided for within the wider Civil Service framework agreement,” it said. “The policy also provides for flexibility to allow for more days working from home in individual circumstances subject to senior management approval.”
The Department of Public Expenditure said the blended working policy framework for Civil Service organisations provided “broad strategic direction to individual departments and offices in developing tailored policies on blended working that are appropriate to needs of business and employees”.
Rules governing working-from-home arrangements, as a result, differ from place to place.
The Government had been strongly criticised by the Opposition on Friday for seeking to change the arrangements.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy accused the Government of following the example of Donald Trump in the US in pursuing a back-to-the-office directive.
Labour TD Marie Sherlock said “a shameful row back on workplace progress” had to be stopped by the Government.
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