Probation and welfare officers have voted by more than nine to one for industrial action in a dispute with the Government over staffing and resources.
The IMPACT union's civil service divisional executive is today expected to approve industrial action next month unless the Government implements an expert group's recommendation that 75 more officers be appointed to the service, which has around 200 officers. The expert group found that staffing levels had not kept pace with the service's increased workload.
In the first stage of the industrial action probation and welfare officers would restrict their caseloads to 30 each. The officers' union officials say this would have "an immediate effect on probation services" as officers handle up to 100 caseloads each.
IMPACT says the additional 75 officers would cost an extra £2.5 million. Mr Peter Nolan of the union said the Government was investing £200 million in a prison-building programme, which would cost £92 million to operate each year, while his members were seeking "a modest investment" in a service which had proved itself as an effective way of tackling crime, protecting public safety and rehabilitating offenders.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the Minister and his senior officials were available to meet IMPACT officials at any stage to discuss the staffing issue. Mr O'Donoghue had made submissions to the Minister for Finance in respect of the recommendations of the expert group's interim report. He said a final report was expected from the group shortly and the Minister would "look at the issue in the round" then.
