Passport office staff refusing to deal with public from 1pm tomorrow

[David Cochrane]

The Passport Service has been informed by the Civil and Public Services Union and the Public Service Executive Union that their members will not operate public counters from 1:00pm on Friday 19th March, and therefore the Passport Office Offices in Dublin, Cork, and Balbriggan will be closed to the public from then.

They're also refusing to answer the phones before 1pm according to the Passport website.

Due to Industrial Action telephones will not be answered in Passport Offices on Friday 19 March until 1pm. Due to Industrial Action telephones will not be answered in Passport Offices on Friday 19 March until 1pm.
The Passport Offices in Cork and Molesworth Street will close from 1pm on Friday 19 March and will reopen on Monday morning.

[Danman]

I don't really understand this.

Are the unions not operating a work to rule?
Surely, manning desks is part of their job description?

If it is, then it can't be a work to rule.
Am I wrong, or is this just the first proper strike, where they loose a days wage?

If I'm right, should they not be disiplined?

[The Caped Cod]

Heading off early for the weekend basicaly, under the guise of industrial action.

[MsAnneThrope]

The Passport Service has been informed by the Civil and Public Services Union and the Public Service Executive Union that their members will not operate public counters from 1:00pm on Friday 19th March, and therefore the Passport Office Offices in Dublin, Cork, and Balbriggan will be closed to the public from then.

Updates will be published on the Passport Service website: www.passport.ie.

They also won't be answering telephones until 1:00pm on Friday 19th. So no phones in the morning in all passport offices and no public counters in the afternoon in Dublin, Cork & Balbriggan.

[PrinceMax]

Do they actually think this is going to work? People will just adapt. I know the museums aren't open on a Monday, so I don't go on a Monday. The credit union is closed on a wednesday, so I do all my necessary credit unioning the day before. The bank closes early on a friday etc.. If there isn't too much of a service disruption the govt. should just cut their week back to finish at this time on a Friday anyway.

[Baron von Biffo]

How often did they take action before their employer stopped paying them the agreed wage?

[Chrisco]

Do they actually think this is going to work?

It depends what you think their objective is...

[Proposition Joe]

If I'm right, should they not be disiplined?

Yes.

But they won't be docked pay or disciplined. As that would be an unacceptable escalation by management, totally disproportionate to the mild industrial action limited to refusing to do one's job while expecting to continue getting paid.

Now if they actually assaulted a member of the public instead of serving them, maybe that would warrant some disciplinary action. But only if they weren't provoked by say the victim having an annoying face or a difficult-to-spell name.

Similarly actual selling of passports to Mossad might warrant some docking of pay, but not too much.

[PrinceMax]

It depends what you think their objective is...

I don't know. I assumed their objective was to get pay cuts restored. Or is it something to do with work practices. Whatever it is, it won't work. It's not enough of an inconvenience. It's only a mild inconvenience.

[odie1kanobe]

They had to inform people because people already assume its the norm anyway in dealing with them.