asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason benefits sections in his Department are refusing to take calls due to an industrial dispute; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Departmental Industrial Dispute.
611.
The Civil and Public Services Staff Union took industrial action in the benefits section of my Department with effect from Friday 12 April. The action took the form of refusing to answer telephone calls from members of the public or to provide a telephone service between the benefits section and the Department's information and public offices. The union concerned escalated their action from Monday 29 April. From that date the staff have refused to answer any telephones, including all direct lines, in the benefits section. The only exception to this concerns telephones in a sub-section that deals with the health board for supplementary welfare allowance purposes. In addition, they are also refusing to process any correspondence except that coming direct from members of the public.
The most immediate effect of the action taken is that claimants cannot now take what is often the most appropriate and effective step in pursuing an inquiry in relation to problems with their claims, that is, discuss the matter by telephone with the staff involved in dealing with the claim. Representations on behalf of claimants by public representatives and community welfare workers etc. cannot be dealt with either.
The dispute has arisen over the numbers of staff required to administer the work of the section. The difficulties in this respect have resulted from constraints imposed arising from Government policy in relation to overall staffing numbers in the public service. Discussions to resolve the dispute have taken place and further efforts to secure a satisfactory resolution of the problem are being pursued.