Eoin Ryan
Ceist:111 Mr. E. Ryan asked the Minister for Health when the dispute between the health boards and the environmental health officers will be settled. [6205/96]
Written Answers. - Environmental Health Officers' Dispute.
Tony Gregory
Ceist:117 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Health the current position regarding the environmental health officers dispute in pursuit of a just and equitable pay scale in line with other scientific/technical graduates in the public service; and the action, if any, he proposes to take regarding this matter. [6249/96]
Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 117 together.
A pay claim submitted by IMPACT on behalf of environmental health officers for a salary revision was processed through the standard industrial relations procedures and was the subject of two hearings by an arbitration board under the conciliation and arbitration scheme for local authorities and health boards. The local government staff negotiations board, representing the health boards and the environmental health officers' union, IMPACT, agreed to refer the claim to arbitration.
The claim was given detailed consideration by the arbitration board which rejected the claim on the basis that it had no merit. By longstanding convention, decisions of the arbitration board are accepted by both sides. However, IMPACT, on behalf of environmental health officers, rejected the arbitration report and initiated industrial action in the spring of 1995. The industrial action was eventually suspended following agreement to process the claim under Clause 2 (iii) A — Annex 1 of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
Following a lengthy series of meetings these negotiations ended without agreement and environmental health officers recommended their "work to rule" with effect from 15 January 1996. Despite the fact that such industrial action is precluded under the terms of theProgramme for Competitiveness and Work, the management side remains available for talks with the union.