The question of whether staff of the former Department of Posts and Telegraphs should have an option to return to the Civil Service following vesting day for An Post – 1 January 1984 – was discussed in the course of meetings of the post office departmental council working party on the establishment of State-sponsored bodies for the postal and telecommunications services. The outcome of these discussions was summarized and agreed with trade union representatives in Departmental Council Report No. 1635 on 30 December 1983.
Paragraph 2.3 of this agreed report stated, that in the course of the discussions, staff organisations had requested that staff transferring to the new bodies, that is, An Post and Telecom Éireann, be given the option of retaining Civil Service status for a transitional period; or that staff be seconded to the bodies for varying periods depending on the wishes of individuals and/or categories; that transferred staff should have the option of returning to the Civil Service within a specified period; and that all staff should have an option to remain in the Civil Service rather than transfer to either of the new bodies.
The official side said that it would not be possible to give an option to remain in or return to the Civil Service, and that it would run counter to the purpose of setting up State sponsored bodies, if they were to be staffed by civil servants. The official side expressed the view that the comprehensive statutory guarantees and other assurances given should remove any cause for staff anxiety.
The foregoing remains the position in regard to the matters raised by the Deputy.
