Irish Public Service unions have welcomed a recommendation that working hours be restored to pre-Haddington Road Agreement levels from next July.
The 2013 deal, introduced as an austerity measure, increased the working week to 37 hours for those who had been working 35 hours or less up to that point.
Those working more than 35 hours faced an increase of up to 39 hours.
There was no additional payment for the additional hours.
Although pay cuts also introduced at the time were temporary, and have since been restored, Governments since 2013 have stuck to the position that other work practice reforms, including the additional unpaid working hours, would remain.
However, the Independent Body Examining Additional Working Hours has sent recommendations to restore hours to pre-2013 levels to Minister for Public Expenditure, Michael McGrath.
Fórsa, the union which represents thousands of Public Service workers, said if the Government accepted the recommendation, it would unwind the final element of the Haddington Road Agreement’s austerity measures.
General Secretary of Fórsa, Kevin Callinan said such a move on working hours would remove “a longstanding and debilitating drain on morale and productivity”.
“The acceptance of the recommendation by Government would also significantly enhance the prospect for continued stability in the Public Service’s delivery and quality, not least by removing a huge obstacle to the successful negotiation of a Public Service agreement when it expires later this year,” Mr Callinan said.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation also welcomed the move, saying it would help with the retention of nurses and midwives.
General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha (pictured) said the additional hours had disproportionately impacted the largely female workforce, pushing many nurses and midwives into part-time work.
Dublin, 14 January 2022
