The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) has heard calls for staff in Government departments to be moved to a four-day working week.
The AHCPS met in Dublin today for its annual delegate conference and passed two motions calling for a shorter working week.
Delegates asked their union to support the Irish Congress of Trade Union's campaign for a four-day week and to seek the introduction of 'Work Condensing Programmes' in all Government departments and offices.
Another motion called on the AHCPS to formally sign up to the principles set down by the Four Day Week Ireland campaign and to officially join the group.
Four-day week campaigner Margaret Cox, Director of ICE Group, was the guest speaker at today's AHCPS conference.
A spokesperson for the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform said the department had no comment on the prospect of introducing a four-day week for the public sector.
A range of other motions were also passed by delegates representing the AHCPS's 3,600 members across 50 branches in the commercial and non-commercial state sector.
The Health Branch put forward a motion calling for the protection of "the privacy rights of members in the workplace", following comments made by ministers of the Government that recordings of internal civil service work meetings, made without consent and subsequently released to the media, were "in the public interest".
Another motion, put forward by the Garda Staff Branch, was critical of Government moves to change terms and conditions of employment under the Policing Security & Community Safety Bill.
AHCPS General Secretary Ciaran Rohan said it was suggestive of a significant and concerning policy shift.
"We have serious concerns about the precedence that will be set if the Government succeeds in changing the terms and conditions of our members in An Garda Síochána, with no meaningful engagement," Mr Rohan said.
"Essentially, they are proposing to reclassify them as direct staff of An Garda Síochána, rather than civil servants - meaning that they will lose the ability to transfer within the wider civil service and the career progression that is facilitated with that mobility," he added.
