The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has signalled its support for Government’s controversial truth verification initiative, following months of behind-the-scenes consultations and key policy assurances that union officials say have made the proposed system more acceptable.
General secretary Richard Green told the Weekend Nation that while concerns were initially raised about the invasive nature of polygraph testing, the union was satisfied that those fears had been addressed, particularly regarding the scope and intended use of the measure.
“We raised our concerns about it and we had discussions on it and clarifications and so on about that,” he said. “We raised concerns with the truth verification being part of the disciplinary process. Our position was that it was not supposed to be part of the disciplinary process. It was not supposed to be used for promotion or to factor into promotions – especially for those persons who are already in
the system.”
Although the union has not yet convened a general meeting with its wider membership, Green said departmental representatives from the agencies affected by the proposed testing regime were consulted and their input helped shape the NUPW’s final position.
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