A union representing senior managers in Telecom Eireann has said it will not agree to a forum to discuss problems for members on contract if it is excluded from representation on the new body.
The Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants is also threatening legal action on the issue. Details are given in an internal memorandum to AHCPS members in Telecom. The union's general secretary, Mr Sean O'Riordan, has declined to comment on the document. The AHCPS represents about a third of Telecom's 180 senior managers, with the rest represented by IMPACT, which is being given representation on the forum.
Most of the personnel involved were formerly civil servants at principal officer and assistant principal officer grade. IMPACT represents engineering personnel on comparable administrative grades in the civil service. Their status is protected under the 1983 Postal and Telecommunications Act.
Section 16 (2)(e) of the Act states: "The company should, in consultation and agreement with recognised trade unions and staff associations, set up machinery for the purpose of negotiations concerned with pay and conditions of service of its staff". The union memorandum says the new forum will effectively deny it the ability to represent its members at the administrative grade level.
Telecom has never made a secret of its desire to see the number of unions it deals with reduced. For the AHCPS, however, such a move could have implications in other State enterprises like An Post, FAS, the Irish Aviation Authority, County Enterprise Boards and the Pensions Board, where IMPACT represents technical staff and the AHCPS represents the same management levels.