The Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) has taken the following actions:

• Allowing the backlog of unprocessed passport applications – more than 50,000 and rising
• Supports a ban on overtime
• Supports a ban on the employment of temporary workers to handle the increased seasonal demand for passports

The CPSU has made a serious miscalculation because of the serious impact it has with the irish people:

1. lengthening queues and angry scenes outside the Molesworth Street passport office in Dublin have caused great public anger.
2. Some holidays were cancelled and money lost;
3. for others, job and business opportunities were missed.

What resolutions/next steps would you suggest?

Ask government to draw a line under the current stand-off and ask for overtime to be paid to clear the 50,000 applications outstanding!

I think we should all take a step back and look at the cold hard facts.

If this Country was a business it would be liquidated. We cannot afford to keep paying the public sector as we are. No-one wants to cut other peoples wages, but, if the money isn't there.......

I sometimes wonder what value the unions add to this whole situation. The unions are to represent their staff but also need to set realistic expectations so they can negoiate a reaosnable deal with the government.

As someone who works for a US multi-national, I know that if I did anything that attracted bad publicity, drove away customers or endangered revenue I would be sacked. This is a perspective does not exist in the passport dispute

The sad fact is that both the unions and the Government have treated the general public with contempt. Each side gambles that their opponent will catch all the flak from the poor public and force them to capitulate. And if the public have to suffer they couldn't care less.