ALL OF CLARE County Council’s outdoor staff that are members of the SIPTU trade union are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over new vehicle usage and vehicle telematics policies.
SIPTU has confirmed the ballot is taking place as part of a “major escalation in a dispute caused by management’s refusal to engage with the State’s own industrial dispute resolution system”.
Last month, transport workers in the Council began industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule.
This escalation would involve their colleagues in other outdoor divisions engaging in supportive industrial action, which SIPTU said would result in significant disruption to the delivery of services.
According to SIPTU, the new transport measures have been introduced without proper engagement and has accused the council of refusing to engage with the State’s own industrial dispute resolution system.
“This ballot is the direct result of Clare County Council management consistently refusing to comply with the agreed procedures for resolving disputes, including attending the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC),” said SIPTU Organiser, Arek Muszynski. He added, “Such behaviour is unprecedented in the public sector and undermines the long-established dispute resolution system that all council employees rely upon”.
In a statement to The Clare Echo, a spokesperson for the local authority said, “Clare County Council continues its call on SIPTU to return to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and refutes the assertion that is has failed to comply with agreed dispute resolution procedures following the implementation of vehicle usage policies last March”.
An approach suggested by SIPTU was not responsible, the Council said. “The essence of the dispute surrounds the policy which states that Clare County Council vehicles including HGV, road maintenance and articulated trucks, must be parked at council depots overnight and not (be) driven home unless there is a business need. SIPTU’s position is that it wants to pause the policy before returning to the WRC, but to do so having regard to known risks, is not considered a responsible approach by Clare County Council. The vehicle usage policies were implemented on March 31, 2025, following a process of engagement with staff and unions going back to April 2024 (11 months)”.
