Unions call on Government to immediately intervene on Section 39 pay dispute

SIPTU, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and Fórsa representatives, have today (Wednesday 19th July) expressed their deep and intense frustration with the Government over its failure to resolve a long standing pay dispute involving thousands of Section 39, Section 10 and Section 56 workers.

The call comes following a last minute cancellation of a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) by the government employers hearing for the fourth time.

SIPTU Health Divisional Organiser, Kevin Figgis, said: “Our members are beyond frustrated at this point. They want back what was taken from them: the 10% pay gap to be closed and the pay link with the public service workers restored in full. The strategy of dodge, delay, and deny won’t wash with our members and we are demanding that this matter be resolved once and for all. Our industrial and strike action has only been suspended, and if the Government does not intervene to settle this dispute, we will not be found wanting. We have the intolerable situation where members are being paid 2008 rates for work they do in 2023. This is completely unacceptable.”

SIPTU Public Administration and Community Divisional Organiser, Karan O’Loughlin, said “The wage cuts unilaterally imposed after the economic crash over a decade ago have been reversed all over the economy, but these workers are being left behind. This puts these essential services at risk and our members extremely frustrated. The reality is that we have a recruitment and retention crisis across the entire community health and voluntary sectors, so for government ministers to stand idly by while their department officials attempt to run down the clock and leave these workers high and dry time after time is completely intolerable. We won’t be standing for it and will be reactivating our strike notice if this disrespectful behaviour continues.”

Fórsa Health National Secretary, Ashley Connolly, said: “This latest delay is a very frustrating development, and adds a further strain on our members in this sector, who have had their patience exhausted by endless delays. The delay also puts additional pressure on employers in the sector, who are managing a deepening crisis on recruitment and retention, while service users continue to endure lengthening waiting lists due to staff shortages. We need decisive Government action to bring an end to the delays and uncertainty. Unions stand ready to negotiate in good faith. Equally we stand ready to engage with engage in industrial action. We will return to the WRC on 31st July, and our members will expect progress.”

INMO Director of Industrial Relations, Albert Murphy, said: “We are disappointed with yet another deferment from the employer’s side. We will attend the WRC on the 31st July with a firm expectation there will be a credible proposal from management to the unions involved in this long-running dispute. The workers who are at the centre of this dispute are not immune from the cost-of-living crisis. Their salaries have not meaningfully increased in fifteen years. The Government must take its role as a substantial financial backer to Section 39 organisations seriously and ensure that workers in these organisations have their salaries linked to the public service.”

SIPTU Health Members – Have your say on ongoing training and development

SIPTU is relaunching our College of Continuous Professional Development in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

As a starting point, the Health Division is conducting a survey of all our members to assist us in developing the right courses that will meet the needs of our members.

The survey can also be accessed at this link.

The survey takes about 12 minutes to complete and is entirely anonymous. It will close on July 7th.

This is an opportunity for all our members to have their say on ongoing training and development in their workplaces.

You can download a poster for your workplace here.

World Whistleblowers Day 2023

Today is World Whistleblower’s Day; and the Health Division would like to take this opportunity to express our solidarity with whistleblowers everywhere who stand up to injustice.

Whistleblowing is more formally known as making a ‘protected disclosure’. The law protects workers who raise concerns about possible wrongdoing in the workplace they currently or previously worked in. They are also protected if they are dismissed or penalised for reporting possible wrongdoing.

People who raise concerns about possible wrongdoing in the workplace are protected by the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (‘the 2014 Act’). It was updated by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 (‘the 2022 Act). The 2022 Act also transposes the EU Whistleblowing Directive into Irish law.

A protected disclosure can be made if you are a worker and you disclose relevant information in a particular way. Information is relevant if it came to your attention in a work-related context and you reasonably believe that it tends to show wrongdoing.
Wrongdoing is widely defined and includes:

1) Criminal offences
2) Failure to comply with legal obligations
3) Breaches of certain European Union law
4) Endangering the health and safety of individuals
5) Damaging the environment
6) Miscarriage of justice
7) Misuse of public funds
8) Oppressive, discriminatory, grossly negligent or grossly mismanaged acts or omissions by a public body
9) Concealment or destruction of information about any of the above wrongdoing or any attempt to conceal or destroy such information

The following are generally not considered wrongdoings:
1) Workplace grievances which are exclusively personal
2) Disputes with your employer about your contract
3) Information that is disclosed in a legally privileged setting
4) If it is your job to detect, investigate or prosecute any wrongdoing and if the wrongdoing reported relates to a person other than the employer.

You should be aware that the above lists are not exhaustive and other examples may exist.

The Workplace Relations Commission has published information online regarding the protection of whistle-blowers.

*The above is for illustrative purposes only. SIPTU members are encouraged to speak to their shop steward, local Union Organiser or our Workers’ Rights Centre (1800 747 881) for more in depth advice if needed.

A Message to SIPTU Health Division Members on Public Services Day

Today (June 23rd) is Public Services Day. It is a United Nations Day which is intended to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognise the work of public servants and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.

The last few years have demonstrated the importance of public healthcare as Ireland battled the Covid-19 virus. Employees within public health services were either fighting the virus in their own employments; or were redeployed to assist in other areas. They did this in the early days of the virus spreading, with little knowledge of what they were combatting and, in the very early days, while they awaited the delivery of life-saving PPE.

Staff in private healthcare and voluntary organisations also added to the effort to fight Covid-19. Workers in private nursing homes dealt with outbreaks. Private home care workers went into homes to care for the elderly and disabled in our communities. Private hospital workers dealt with cases that could not be cared for in the public system as it concentrated on dealing with Covid 19. Those working for disability services in the voluntary sector continued to provide care to their clients; and endeavoured to give them a sense normalcy in their lives while the virus raged.

We stood outside our homes and clapped for our ‘frontline heroes’. Citizens made goodwill gestures of every description to healthcare workers in their communities. People hung messages of solidarity with healthcare workers from the front of their houses. There was a genuine sense that we were all in this together.

Despite the near-universal recognition for the work done by our members, issues remain with the provision of public health services throughout the country.

Private companies continue to expand in the nursing home sector. Workers in voluntary organisations continue to provide essential services to the State while being paid a fraction of their colleagues in the public service.

And yet, our members continue to put their shoulder to the wheel in pursuit of fair pay and decent terms for union members.
Workers in Section 39 agencies have progressed their dispute to the point of taking industrial action, with more promised if pay justice is not secured in their sector. SIPTU continues to secure pay deals for workers in private and voluntary organisations. Our members in the public service have battled for increases in pay through the public service agreements and mechanisms such as the HSE Support Grade Job Evaluation Scheme. Members in all employments continue to argue and campaign for safe staffing. The Union continues to pursue a claim for an appropriate scheme to assist healthcare workers suffering from Long Covid.

All these efforts demonstrate one thing. There is value in being a member of a union. Our members not only campaign for their own issues but for a safe, and appropriately staffed health service for society at large.

SIPTU warns of crisis due to pay disparity in public and private home care services

SIPTU representatives have today (Wednesday, 21st June) warned that the disparity in pay between workers in public and private home care services is leading to a staffing crisis in the sector which is severely affecting vulnerable clients.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Pat Flannery, said “The reality is that staff are moving from private and voluntary services to the public service as the HSE is moving to recruit Healthcare Support Assistants. Staff are voting with their feet and opting to work for an employer that provides better terms and conditions of employment. It is our firm belief that private and voluntary providers will continue to struggle to recruit if the issue of pay is not addressed.”

The warning comes on a day that the Dáil will debate a motion tabled by the Regional Group regarding the crisis in home care and shortages in home help hours. Among the measures called for in the motion is that the Government ensure that all training for people engaging in the home care industry is paid for by the State to assist private providers in replacing staff who have moved to jobs within the HSE.

Flannery said: “The ‘Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Healthcare Assistants’ was published in September 2022 and contained 16 recommendations aimed at alleviating staffing issues in the sector. To date, the Government has only implemented one of these recommendations, which was to increase the number of work permits available for home carers to come from outside the EU to work in Ireland.

“The permits made available are for full-time positions with a minimum salary of €27,000. A Healthcare Support Assistant in the HSE can earn up to €40,738 working full-time and has access to far more favourable terms and conditions of employment including premium payments, travel and mileage payments, as well as access to a pension scheme. These benefits are not available to their private and voluntary sector counterparts in many instances.”

He added: “The absurdity of the situation is that many private and voluntary providers are contracted to provide services on behalf of the State. Yet staff are leaving these services to take up employment directly with the HSE due to the more favourable conditions of employment.”

SIPTU says mental health services at breaking point due to lack of staff and burnout

SIPTU representatives have highlighted the threat to the operation of mental health services through lack of staff and worker burnout at a Policy Forum for Ireland online seminar, on the ‘Next steps for mental health services in Ireland’ which took place today (Tuesday, 20th June).

Addressing the seminar, SIPTU Sector Organiser, John McCamley, said: “SIPTU has been to the fore in highlighting issues faced by our members in mental health services. They face heavy workloads and risk burnout due to a lack of staff.

“Problems with staffing are particularly acute in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). SIPTU representatives have requested a meeting with the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, to highlight the concerns of our members who work in CAMHS.

“We note that the Minister has announced that she has commenced a series of high-level roundtable discussions with key stakeholders in CAMHS and have been informed that SIPTU representatives will be asked to participate. It is our view that an engagement that focuses on the experiences of workers in this sector should happen without delay. It is imperative that we deal with the issues relating to staffing if we are to stem the flow of workers leaving these services.”

He added: “We welcomed the opportunity to address the seminar on behalf of our members as often the voice of workers is missing when the future of essential public services is discussed.”

SIPTU Radiation therapists forced to work extended days to complete cancer treatments

SIPTU members employed as radiation therapists are struggling to provide cancer treatments within the working day.

In a recent survey of members conducted among union members, 91% of respondents said that their location provided an ‘overrun service’ in order to keep on top of caseloads.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, John McCamley, said: “An overrun service occurs when the scheduled service runs beyond the normal finish time. This can happen for a variety of reasons such as the addition of an emergency patient who requires treatment, delays with scheduled treatments throughout the day, machine breakdowns and to accommodate patients on waiting lists. Most radiation therapists will continue to treat scheduled patients until they are all seen.

“Our members have said this is as the result of a stretched service which is in desperate need of more radiation therapists to meet demand. They have also said that the practice is leading to burnout and difficulties with childcare. However, they are doing it out of care for the patients they are treating.”

Separately, the survey revealed that 84% of respondents believed that the public at large was not aware of the role of the radiation therapist in treating cancer.

McCamley continued: “Critically, our members feel as though their role is not recognised as being as crucial as it is in the treatment of cancer. Respondents felt that there is an awareness of the role that chemotherapy and surgery plays in the treatment of cancer, but not radiation therapy. This is despite the fact that radiation therapy is one of the main treatments of cancer.

“There is a view among our membership that you will likely not appreciate the significance of the the role of the radiation therapist unless you’re unfortunate enough to require their help some day.”

The SIPTU Radiation Therapist survey was completed in February 2023 across public and private practice. There are currently approximately 300 radiation therapists practicing in Ireland. Radiation therapy uses targeted high energy x-rays to treat patients with cancer..

SIPTU members in National Ambulance Service vote overwhelmingly for strike action

SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in a dispute resulting from the failure of management to fully implement the recommendations of a report on the reform and modernisation of the service.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Ted Kenny, said: “The ballot which was counted on Friday (5th May) has returned a result of more than 95% in favour of strike action. The dispute has resulted from a failure of NAS management to fully implement the recommendation of the Review of Roles and Responsibilities Report which was jointly commissioned by the NAS, SIPTU and the HSE in 2018.

“This huge vote in favour of taking action demonstrates our members’ determination to ensure their employer honours its agreement in full when it comes to implementing widespread reform at the NAS.

“Our members have fully co-operated with a plan drawn up by management to develop the service and they expect commitments concerning new grades and pay scales, which were made to them, to be met. It is the function of management to secure the necessary funding to deliver the agreed vision for the service. This includes any payments arising to staff as part of their overall restructuring plan.”

He added: “We have advised NAS management of the outcome of our ballot. The exact date and nature of the industrial action that will now be taken will be finalised in consultation with our members.”

SIPTU survey of radiation therapists reveals looming staffing crisis in cancer services

A SIPTU survey of radiation therapists has found that cancer services in both public and private hospitals are facing into significant staffing issues due to most respondents saying they intend to leave the profession within the next five years.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, John McCamley, said: “The survey found that 60% of respondents did not see themselves working as a radiation therapists in five years’ time. Some cited excessive workloads, staffing issues and a lack of a career pathway as the reasons they are considering leaving the service. Some are actively applying for other roles, while others are returning to education to seek an alternative career.

“Radiation therapy is used to treat around half of cancer cases and staffing issues in the service will have a knock-on effect on treatment waiting times. The survey also found that 48% of respondents are either ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with their current workplace. Participants believe their pay does not reflect the level of competency required for the role and feel undervalued. Some said they are under pressure and ‘worried’ about the number of patients waiting for radiotherapy.

“The survey also found that 88% of respondents are dissatisfied with their level of pay for the functions they carry out and that the majority would not recommend radiation therapy as a profession.

“The findings of the survey are very troubling. SIPTU representatives have previously called on the Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly, to put in place an emergency plan to deal with the imminent staffing crisis in radiation therapy. The findings of this survey demonstrate that there is a need to address staff concerns within the service.”

He added: “The survey was carried out with SIPTU members in both public and private practice among the approximately 300 radiation therapists actively working across the country during 2023. The majority of respondents were in the 18 to 34 age cohort. It is very worrying that most state that they do not see themselves working in the field long-term. It calls into question the sustainability of the service if a coherent plan is not put in place to recruit and retain staff.”

SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service begin ballot for strike action

SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) have begun a ballot for strike action in a dispute regarding the failure of the HSE to fully implement a series of reforms which would benefit this vital public service.

The series of proposed reforms are contained in the Roles and Responsibilities Report for NAS, which was commissioned by NAS management, SIPTU and the HSE. It’s recommendations include the introduction of new grades of staff, new job descriptions and the upskilling of existing staff.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Ted Kenny, said: “This report provides for a proposed new structure for the service, which includes revised pay scales for our members. Following months of intensive, local engagement on this issue with NAS management our representatives are deeply concerned that it is yet to be implemented.

“Our members have fully co-operated with the plan drawn up by management to develop the service and they expect commitments concerning new grades and pay scales which were made to them to be met. Our members will not accept any deviation from the reality that it is management’s function to secure the necessary funding to deliver the agreed vision for the service. This includes any payments arising to staff as part of their overall restructuring plan.”

He added: “SIPTU is of the view that the business case for the implementation of this report is outside the terms of the Building Momentum Public Service Agreement. We do not accept the premise that delivery of the service level aspects of the plan are permitted yet the commitments to staff in return are deemed to be a cost increasing claim. It is the function of management to secure the necessary funding to deliver the commitments it has made.”

The ballot for strike action will conclude on Thursday 4th May 2023.