Efforts are due to resume this week to avoid a series of 24-hour strike actions by State sea fisheries inspection staff after talks collapsed last week at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
As the Times Irish edition reports today, the WRC discussions had been convened after SFPA staff voted “overwhelmingly” late last month for industrial action in a disagreement over consultation on management changes to the State body.
It is understood the discussions fell apart over an SFPA management decision to continue with organisational changes recommended in a consultancy review.
The Price Waterhouse Coopers (Pwc) review of the SFPA finalised last year found that the authority was “not working effectively” and that it required “urgent attention”.
The SFPA monitors and enforces sea-fisheries and seafood safety legislation, and it works with the Naval Service on inspections of fishing vessels under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy.
The union served notice of the first in a series of 24-hour stoppages at sea fisheries harbours from midnight of March 8th, but this was suspended when invitations were issued to attend the WRC.
Fórsa and SFPA management resumed contact shortly before the weekend to seek a resolution, and both bodies declined to comment.
The SFPA committed to implementing the Pwc review’s 47 recommendations from early this year.
The Pwc review also referred to a European Commission audit of 2018 in Killybegs, which has led to a recent demand from the EU for “payback” of Ireland’s mackerel quota due to issues with weighing and under-reporting of catches.
It is understood that SFPA staff believe they are being blamed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine for the under-reporting.
Read more in The Times here