JUST UNDER 2,000 staff have left the health service under the terms of the Government’s voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes.
It is understood that while 1,993 personnel have taken the packages on offer, this figure could increase marginally in the future – possibly to just over 2,000 – if staff currently on maternity leave opt to leave on their return to work.
The new figures, which are expected to be given to the Dáil by Minister for Health Mary Harney tomorrow, represent an increase on the figure of just over 1,700 indicated by the HSE in the run-up to Christmas.
However, it still means that about 1,700 HSE staff who initially applied to leave ultimately changed their mind during a “cooling-off period” allowed under the rules of the scheme.
The Government had initially suggested that up to 5,000 staff could take up the deal, while HSE management had forecast that between 3,000 and 5,000 staff could opt to leave.
It is understood that about 30 to 35 per cent of staff in senior management positions have opted to leave under the voluntary redundancy and early retirement schemes.
At least one national director in the HSE is believed to have left under the schemes.
These senior staff work right across the health service in various parts of the country.
The schemes had been made available by the Government to clerical, management and administrative personnel in the health service as well as to those in support posts such as catering staff.
About 70 per cent of those who have taken the packages are in the clerical, administrative and management areas, with 30 per cent in support grades.
The level of financial savings estimated to flow from the redundancy schemes has been scaled back as a result of the lower than expected take-up of the offers by staff.
The Government had initially allocated €400 million to cover the cost of the early retirement and voluntary redundancy schemes.
Ms Harney had estimated that if the schemes had been fully taken up by health service personnel savings of up to €200 million annually could be generated.
However, it is understood that as a result of the smaller numbers opting to leave the health service, it is now estimated that the savings will be in the region of €100 million.
This shortfall will either have to be made up elsewhere in the health service budget or by the provision of additional exchequer funding.
Under the rules set down by the Government, staff leaving as part of the voluntary redundancy scheme received a severance payment of three weeks’ pay per year of service in addition to statutory entitlements, subject to an overall limit of two years’ pay.
Unions have said that smaller than expected take-up of the schemes was due to the tight deadline set by the Government for staff to decide on the offers and difficulties experienced by personnel in securing details of their precise individual packages under the schemes.
Union sources said this week that so far there had been “no landmines” experienced as a result of the departure of staff under the schemes. At the launch of the schemes in November, Ms Harney said the terms on offer were “fair and reasonable”, particularly given the budgetary situation.
She said the schemes would be available on a once-off basis to employees in the grades concerned and would not be repeated.
Last month, Minister of State for Public Service Reform Dara Calleary suggested that the Government could offer a voluntary redundancy scheme for other staff in the wider public service.
