Industrial action at Institutes of Technology has been suspended after the Department of Education and Skills agreed to commence a job evaluation scheme for library, clerical and administrative support grades.
The move follows talks at the Workplace Relations Commission today between the Department and the Fórsa trade union, which were described as constructive.
Fórsa argues that support staff in higher education have struggled to deliver services since 2008, as personnel numbers fell, student enrolments rose, and higher grade posts were not filled.
In 2015, as part of the negotiations for the Lansdowne Road Agreement, Fórsa secured a commitment that a job evaluation scheme would be carried out to examine whether the relevant posts were correctly grade in terms of the skills and responsibilities required.
Job evaluation schemes can result in significant pay rises for staff whose roles have expanded over a period.
However, having waited in vain for three years for the evaluation to commence, last July staff voted by 85% to back industrial action, which actually commenced on 15 October.
Staff in Institutes of Technology and Mary Immaculate College in Limerick have been refusing to deal with communications including phone calls and emails.
Fórsa official Andy Pike said the measures agreed at the Workplace Relations Commission today would give members a clear path to a comprehensive job evaluation scheme and that it would now be appropriate to suspend the industrial action.
