Doubts cast on fairness of jobs transfer scheme

Doubts cast on fairness of jobs transfer scheme

7 March 2012 - by DAVID TELFORD

THE Equality Commission has questioned the proposed transfer of 33 finance staff based at the Downshire Hospital in Downpatrick to Ballymena.

The Business Services Organisation (BS0) is proposing to transfer the local staff to Co. Antrim as part of a radical shake-up of administration services across the Province aimed at saving an estimated £10m over the next decade.

Staff and local politicians have expressed concern about the consultation document the BSO produced and now the Equality Commission has confirmed it has a number of questions about the government agency’s equality impact assessment on the relocation of jobs from Downpatrick.

The Commission intervened after being approached by South Down MP Margaret Ritchie who believes the plans to redeploy health administration staff may discriminate against women. She has asked the Commission to assess if the plans are justified.

Last year it was announced that four centres of expertise are to be created in Northern Ireland which would result in finance staff based in Downpatrick facing a daily round trip to Ballymena over 100 miles.

Currently, each of the five health trusts has its own administration department which includes payroll and human resources.

The Department of Health wants to centralise the services, creating four centres of expertise instead. However, none of the centres would be created in the South Eastern Trust area.

Miss Ritchie described the proposed transfer of staff from Downpatrick as “totally inequitable, totally unfair and inappropriate” and

revealed the Equality

Commission is seeking a meeting with the Department to discuss a number of issues, including policy proposals and various impact assessments.

The MP said the Commission wishes to discuss with health officials the evidential basis for the selection of the so-called Centre of Excellence Model for shared services which will require staff in Downpatrick to move to Ballymena.

Miss Ritchie continued: “The Commission will be discussing the

importance of further analysis of those staff who may be required to move to an office some distance from their current one and/or change their current work activity.

“The Commission considers there should be further consideration and clarity around mitigating measures and want detail on the measures being taken to accommodate staff who may wish to retrain and stay in their current location.”

Last week, concern was raised after a job advertisement for new health service staff in Ballymena was

published, angering

those still based at the Downshire. As a result of the local staff concerns, the BSO suspended the recruitment process.