Thousands of health care workers at more than 20 Section 39 organisations including Chesire Ireland, Ability West and Rehab Group have voted for industrial action as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions in the sector.
After a number of failed engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission over the past year, Siptu initiated the ballot at the start of this month. On Thursday, as counting concluded at Liberty Hall, the union said 97 per cent of its members in the organisations had voted in favour of taking action, with 70 per cent having participated in the process.
Talks between government departments and unions, also including Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are due to take place at the WRC on Monday.
Talks aimed at resolving the dispute, which relates to a push by unions for the restoration of a previous link between workers and their counterparts directly employed in the HSE and other government agencies, have been ongoing since a strike in the sector was averted at the last minute in October 2023. A deal was struck that provided for immediate pay increases and the establishment of a process intended to address the issue of parity.
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Workers affected include those at hundreds of charities and voluntary organisations providing services on behalf of the government in the areas of health, homelessness, disability and families.
The process has stalled on a number of occasions since with officials telling unions on more than one occasion there was a desire to address the issues involved but a lack of the political mandate required for them to make a suitable offer.
The issues involved were highlighted during the General Election campaign when then Taoiseach encountered Charlotte Fallon, a staff member at St Joseph’s Foundation in Cork, who accused the government of ignoring the disability sector and its workers.
Mr Harris denied the accusation but a video clip of the encounter went viral and he said a resolution to the dispute would be found.
Talks since then have again failed to produce an agreement and it is hoped that progress can made next week.
Employer organisations in the sectors involved, some of them employing large numbers of staff, will be watching the process closely. Many have said any deal needs to address related issues like the funding of social insurance payments and pension contributions.
If the industrial action does ahead, it is likely to impact on services across a range of areas including home supports for thousands of older people and those with disabilities.
A Siptu official said the union hopes next week’s talks will finally produce a deal that addresses the concerns of its members but that “they have made it clear they are willing to take action if no agreement is reached”.
