Administrative Officer Competition
As members may already be aware the NICS yesterday launched an external competition for the recruitment of Administrative Officers. As part of the ongoing industrial action NIPSA had ramped up the pressure on the Management Side to agree to run an external competition for permanent Administrative Officers on the basis there are approximately 1,500 Administrative Officer vacancies most of which are currently filled by Agency Workers. During the negotiations that have taken place over the last number of weeks NIPSA managed to ensure that an Administrative Officer competition was run that did not include an ‘Operational Delivery’ Administrative Officer which was the Management Side’s preferred option.
NIPSA managed to push back working patterns and other issues to ensure that, as far as possible, new Administrative Officers had options regarding working patterns both at the commencement of their employment and in the future.
This is a significant win for NIPSA and would not have happened without the support of all NIPSA members in the current industrial action. We must keep up the pressure on the Management Side to ensure that we have other wins in the near future. You can be assured that NIPSA will seek at all times to protect your terms and conditions of employment.
Agency Workers – Pay Progression
Following pressure from NIPSA Management Side have agreed that Agency workers who have been in place for the requisite period of time (the same as a permanent member of staff) are entitled to annual pay progression. Work is currently ongoing to check the amounts due to current Agency workers working within the NICS. Following further engagement with the Management Side they have given a firm commitment that Agency workers who are working within the NICS will be paid monies due within this financial year (i.e. by 31 March 2020). For those members who are no longer employed within the Civil Service a separate exercise will be undertaken to ensure they receive any monies due.
I am sure branches, particularly those with Agency workers, will be pleased that NIPSA have secured this further victory for this group of workers.
