Camphill staff members vote for industrial action

Over 40 SIPTU members working at Camphill Communities at Duffcarrig in Ballymoney, have voted unanimously in favour of taking industrial action in a dispute over funding and working conditions.

The union representing the majority of employees in Duffcarrig announced that the first 24-hour work stoppage will take place on March 12, starting at 8 a.m., with a level of service expected to be maintained to ensure that residents are not at risk.

Duffcarrig is one of 16 Camphill Communities around the country, providing day care and residential services for people with intellectual disabilities and other special needs in a home-based setting.

SIPTU Industrial Organiser Ger Malone said the vote has taken place aginst a backdrop of long-standing industrial issues and what she termed a grossly deficient funding model underwritten by the Health Service Executive (HSE) which members say is failing the residents and staff.

‘Our members are stretched too thin and beyond their capacity, working excessive hours with many suffering with various stress-related illnesses, including burn-out and anxiety.

‘It appears that the HSE and management believe they can replicate a HSE model with the same standards for a fraction of the cost and with half the staff. It is not realistic or sustainable and workers are at breaking point’.

Camphill Communities CEO Ann Sheehan said the organisation has been engaging with staff at Duffcarrig and their representatives, SIPTU, to resolve a range of issues over the past year.

‘While the union has served notice of industrial action on Camphill, the talks process between the two sides will continue and we are determined to reach a resolution of the issues satisfactory to both sides,’ she said. ‘Meanwhile, Camphill is engaging with the HSE about putting contingency arrangements in place for our community members with support needs should the proposed industrial action go ahead’.

Employees have cited underfunding and consequential understaffing as an ongoing problem which, they claim, is compromising the safety, health and welfare of residents and staff and is exacerbated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

SIPTU members say agency staff are a constant feature, causing higher levels of insecurity and anxiety amongst residents due to unfamiliar people and different approaches leading to upset and behavioural problems, compounded by the fact that staff are frequently too over-stretched to give the necessary time to provide the comfort and care required.

Ms Malone said some workers in Duffcarrig report they are working 12-hour shifts without breaks due to staffing shortages and some report having to work 60 hours per week for the same reason.

‘Staffing levels are cut to a minimum with over reliance on co-workers who are volunteers there to gain work experience but find themselves working excessive hours with inadequate training and experience for no pay.

‘Those volunteers are often left working on their own at night without the qualifications to deal with the types of scenarios that can arise.

‘Employees reported working with residents on their own, making it impossible to take proper breaks including toilet breaks. Workers describe being in a state of perpetual anxiety.

‘Complying with Covid safety measures is a challenge for workers every minute of the day and dealing with the physical and emotional effects on residents is even more challenging. The workers are expected to cope with no additional supports or resources.

‘The reality is that the needs of these vulnerable resident are not being met and the staff are not prepared to stand by and accept that any longer,’ said Ms. Malone.

She said management are constantly imposing HSE policies but omitting and or diminishing any provisions that provide staff benefits including ‘scandalously slashing sick pay provision and terms and conditions in the middle of a pandemic’.

‘It is like expecting to get a Mercedes for the price of a Lada, it just is not possible. The HSE should know what it costs to fund these services. They know the price they must pay to get the quality of care that our most vulnerable citizens and professional care workers deserve.’

Aoife Kehoe has been working in Camphill for over seven years and said a combination of factors has brought workers to this point of industrial action.

Staff have become overwhelmed with new responsibilities without any additional incentives and supports while still trying to provide the time and patience needed to care for residents and this has led to high staff turnover and short and long-term stress leave.

Evelyn Martin who has worked in Camphill for ‘a long time’, said morale is very low among staff have been left to work 12 hour shifts with three residents on their own, without breaks, and they are not even paid HSE rates.