Homecare workers ‘likely’ to be balloted for strike action over pay

A dispute over differing pay rates in the homecare sector continues.

Balloting for strike action is now “extremely likely”, said the union which represents homecare workers and others in the voluntary sector caring for vulnerable people, as a dispute over pay continues.

The dispute centres on different rates of pay for people who work for organisations part-funded by the HSE, under a section 39 agreement, compared to staff working directly for the HSE while doing the same work.

The gap is significant in homecare, said Aideen Carberry, communications officer for Siptu’s health division.

“[For section 39] it’s a nine-point salary scale, starting at €14.42 per hour, and at the top of the scale you’d have €15.07 per hour,” said Ms Carberry.

She said that for a HSE-employed carer, “you’d have a starting point of €15.64”.

“So you are looking at starting on more in the HSE than you’d even be receiving in the section 39 sector at the top. And at the top of the HSE scale, you are looking at in excess of €20 per hour.”

Recent efforts through the Workplace Relations Commission to come to an agreement with the Government on equal pay for staff in all organisations affected appear to have stalled.

“Our members are clearly telling us they wish to maintain the link with the public service and they’ll accept nothing less, so in consultation with them, it is likely we will be proceeding to ballot for industrial strike action in a number of organisations which are yet to be announced.”

Industrial action

Meanwhile, HSE clerical and administrative staff members will commence industrial action early next month in a move which could threaten plans for internal reorganisation of the HSE into six operational regions.

The decision was backed by 93.3% of Fórsa union members and prompted by the halting of all recruitment for clerical and administrative roles.

The union said the HSE is increasingly relying on agency staff as well as external private consultants instead of “investing in upskilling and training its existing workforce or promoting them in vacant roles”.

Fórsa national secretary for health and welfare Ashley Connolly said clerical and administrative staff members play an “absolutely vital role in ensuring the smooth running of health services”.

“Contrary to perceptions, the proportion of clerical and administrative staff in the HSE is low, accounting for around just under 20% of the overall workforce, while at the same time providing crucial support to clinical staff,” said Ms Connolly.

“The HSE’s reliance on agency staff is an expensive and unsustainable solution. Its failure to invest in the upskilling and development of existing staff is a missed opportunity to strengthen this part of its workforce

“Our members are protesting the HSE’s carelessness in blowing vast sums of money on external consultants — last year alone it spent €180m — and its decision to rein in spending by transferring the burden onto its clerical and administrative staff.”

The required three weeks’ notice of industrial action has been served to the HSE. The industrial action will initially take on the form of non-co-operation with financial reporting, non-engagement in relation to all elements of the new regional health areas, non-co-operation with financial management systems, and non-co-operation with any proposal on extending the working week.