Officials in the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism have complained that their own union has not been strong enough in its response to the Government's decentralisation plan.
Widespread alarm and anxiety about the plan is reflected in a letter from the senior and mid-ranking officials to the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants.
The letter to the union's general secretary, Mr Seán Ó Riordáin, said officials perceived "a substantial lack of urgency" in the union's response to the plan, which will see the Department moved to Killarney, Co Kerry.
"Our concerns are particularly acute as this Department is in the vanguard of those likely to be decentralised at an early date," said the letter from the branch secretary, Ms Christine Sisk.
"While some of these legitimate concerns were raised by the union following the budget announcement, this branch's view is that they have not been put across forcefully enough and it is unacceptable to simply adopt a wait-and-see approach."
The letter, dated January 15th, said the plans amounted to a "fundamental and far-reaching assault" on conditions of employment in the civil service.
Mr Ó Riordáin responded yesterday by saying that the union was conducting an intensive round of consultations ahead of a special delegate conference on March 1st.
The process embraced all human resources, industrial relations and quality of service issues, he said. "People are welcome to their views in a democracy."
Calling for an urgent campaign to question the basis of the plan, Ms Sisk suggested that public relations consultants should be hired to outline the union's concerns.
"These proposals pose a real and obvious threat to the cohesion, effectiveness and central role of the independent, non-political system that is the civil service. The proposals will change the nature of the civil service and could seriously undermine its professionalism and experience," the letter said.
