STRIKE COULD IMPACT CWCW

INDUSTRIAL ACTION involving ten Section 39 health agencies on Valentine’s Day will have implications for similar organisations in Wexford, including: Ard Aoibhinn in Wexford, St Aidan’s Daycare Centre in Gorey, and the County Wexford Community Workshop (CWCW) in Enniscorthy.

Ten large section 39 organisations are due to go on strike on February 14 and, while none of them are located in County Wexford, should the action go to a second phase it is expected that the three Wexford agencies would take part as they are experiencing similar issues.

SIPTU members working within these agencies were 97% in favour of the upcoming industrial action.

Section 39 agencies are grant-aided volunatry organisations that provide disability, health and social care within communities.

David Morris, a SIPTU Organiser in Wexford, explained that the strike is arising from a dispute over pay restoration and equalisation, pointing out that there are issues, in particular, in bigger organisations where funding was cut.

‘During the recession, public sector pay was frozen and that extended to Section 39 organisations. Now, the public service is having its pay restored and we are arguing that the same should follow for Section 39 workers - they should be on the same rate of pay as their counterparts in the HSE.’

He pointed out that there had been three Labour Court recommendations that staff at Ard Aoibhinn, St Aidan’s and the CWCW be granted pay equalisation but said the HSE had ignored them.

‘ The staff have been left with no alternative. This is going on since 2010 with no increments for the past five years.’

He added that the issue was creating an ‘unsustainable’ situation as staff were leaving Section 39 organisations for better paid HSE roles, or simply not joining these organisations in the first place.

It was a unique case, he said, in that employers were supportive of their staff in their plight.