Listen back to SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell on the Michael Reade Show discussing the outcome of Labour Court hearing aimed at resolving the dispute for support staff and chefs. Download the full show here.
SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 23rd July) confirmed that the Labour Court will issue recommendations aimed at resolving the dispute involving support grade staff and chefs in the health service within 10 working days.
SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said: “SIPTU representatives have spent six days in the Labour Court arguing our members’ case. We welcome the news that the court is now in a position to issue recommendations aimed at resolving our longstanding dispute within 10 working days. We would like to thank the members of the Labour Court for their hard work and efforts over the last number of weeks and our members for the patience and resolve they have shown throughout this process so far.”
He added: “SIPTU representatives will issue a further statement in due course.”
A Labour Court hearing aimed at resolving the current dispute involving up to 10,000 health workers and chefs has adjourned for the night.
SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell said: “The Court has adjourned to consider its position overnight. The Court will make contact with the parties later today (Tuesday, 23rd July).”
Members can be kept up to date by downloading the SIPTU Health App.
SIPTU representatives have confirmed this evening (Monday, 22nd July) that talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) over a new enhanced mental health nursing contract have adjourned.
SIPTU Nursing Sector Organiser, Kevin Figgis said: “Talks between health service management and union representatives have adjourned this evening without agreement. A range of issues were discussed around the enhanced nursing contracts; including the development of a FAQ document, the expert review group on nursing, recruitment and retention issues, advance nurse practitioners ratios, nursing management structures and superannuation among other issues of concern to our members.”
SIPTU Industrial Organiser, John McCamley said: “SIPTU nursing representatives remain available to progress any outstanding issues. Members will be kept informed of any further developments.”
SIPTU Health representatives are today (Monday, 22nd July) attending a hearing at the Labour Court to discuss the dispute involving 10,000 health service workers over the implementation of a job evaluation scheme.
On this way into the hearing SIPTU Health Division Organiser, Paul Bell, said; “Today is the sixth day of the engagement with the Labour Court. We are hoping that the Labour Court will be able to bring the parties close enough so a recommendation can be made which will be considered by our membership.”
He added: “However, we are not going to second guess the Labour Court. They have a job to do and we understand that everything that can be done to resolve this dispute is being done.”
SIPTU Health Division has launched a questionnaire to enhance the development of a Continuous Professional Development Centre in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Click here to take the survey
The survey will take 10 minutes to complete and is completely confidential.
All completed entries are in a draw for One4All vouchers worth €100.
Trade unions from across the globe have launched a #TimeFor8 campaign to highlight the centrality of the labour agenda within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the compelling need to address the big challenges to achieve the 2030 agenda.
Speaking at the United Nations High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Vice Chair of the ICTU Global Solidarity Committee, Yvonne O’Callaghan, said: “The 2008 financial crisis together with the slow and fragile recovery that followed that crisis vividly shows that the current economic model has reached its limits. Economies are now caught in a ‘low wage/low growth’ trap, because wage and labour market flexibility have gone too far and workers’ bargaining position has become too weak even if headline unemployment rates have gone down.”
She added: “The #TimeFor8 campaign calls for a renewed contract for governments, business and workers, with a universal labour guarantee that provides a protection floor for all workers. This means rights and women’s equality are respected, jobs are decent with minimum living wages and collective bargaining, workers have some control over working time, social protection coverage is universal, due diligence and accountability drive business operations, and social dialogue ensures just transition measures for climate, technology and displacement.”
By now, the majority of Section 39 organisations are in the process of restoring thousands of SIPTU members pay.
A special update will get given to all members in Rehabcare and the National Learning Network over the coming days.
Today, our representatives are in the Workplace Relations Commission negotiating for pay justice of Section 39 workers in home care services.
The campaign continues…
SIPTU Ambulance Sector representatives have today (Monday, 15th July) confirmed that SIPTU members working in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare will be balloted for industrial action, up to and including strike action, over the failure of NAS management to rectify problems with a new payroll system.
SIPTU Industrial Organiser, John McCamley said: “Despite repeated calls to fix the IT problems and numerous engagements, NAS management has failed resolve this matter to our members’ satisfaction. We have members who depend on every cent they earn to pay mortgages and childcare costs, left in the intolerable position of being short changed on their overtime, bank holiday and subsistence payments for over five weeks now. We regret taking this action but our members have been left with no option. They perform an essential public service and are now in limbo with no sign of payment on the horizon. It is not acceptable. The dispute also involves the unilateral withdrawal of subsistence payments for ambulance professionals in some circumstances.”
The prospect of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit in less than four months is looming large. The implications of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement include the destruction of up to 100,000 jobs across the economy, North and South. It will mean massive disruption of trade between the economy of the Republic of Ireland and the UK and across the English landbridge to the EU.
It will involve punitive tariffs on the export of agri-food and other exports to the UK as well significant delays in the movement of goods and workers across the border. Last week, the Government conceded that customs checks, including the possible introduction of some infrastructure on or near the border to protect the EU customs union, will be required.
For over a year the trade union movement, through the ICTU, has called for the introduction of a fund to mitigate the substantial job losses projected after a no-deal Brexit and indeed following British withdrawal from the EU even with an agreement.
This is essential to ensure that jobs are retained where possible until alternative markets to the UK are found, or to ensure the re-skilling and re-training of the workers whose jobs are destroyed over the coming months.
Equally as important, the Government needs to assure the Irish people that real steps are in place to protect the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement which have at their core the development of an all island economy and the free movement of goods, people and services across the Irish border
