Fórsa is to ballot its members in health service employments in the community and voluntary sector (Section 39, 56, and 10 organisations), on the terms of a pay deal finalised last week at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). 

The union’s health & welfare divisional executive - comprised of senior elected workplace representatives - met last week and made the decision to issue a ballot with a recommendation to members for a vote in favour the terms of the new deal. Preparations for a ballot will get underway in the coming days. 

In a communication to members, Fórsa’s head of health & welfare Ashley Connolly said the new proposed pay agreement was achieved following months of ‘challenging’ negotiations, and that the terms build on the terms of the October 2023 agreement. 

She added: “This agreement allows for future pay increases, and funding will be adjusted to allow for application of equivalent general round pay adjustments, as provided for in any successor agreements to the Public Service Agreement. 

The agreement acknowledges that the pay of some workers in the community and voluntary organisations has fallen behind equivalent grades in public sector organisations.  

“The proposed agreement clearly states that any funding provided to organisations under this agreement can only be used to meet the pay increases,” she said. 

Ashley advised members that a joint monitoring group, comprised of the funding agencies, employer representatives and staff union representatives, will be established “to ensure practical issues and disputes arising in the administration of this agreement can be resolved in a timely and effective manner.” 

An independent data gathering exercise is to be conducted over the next eight months, once the agreement is ratified in a ballot. Ashley said this process would be crucial in establishing “a shared understanding” of the sector and that, once complete, the parties would re-engage no later than 1st March 2026 to discuss the outcome of the data gathering process. 

Fórsa is to provide members with a ballot schedule and an FAQ on the terms of agreement shortly.  

Ashley thanked members for their commitment to a long process, underlining that that the work of achieving the provisions in the pay agreement had been ongoing for close to ten years: “Without your persistence we would not be where we are. This agreement will significantly increase pay in the sector now, and in the future.” 

“The community and voluntary sector is essential to the provision of vital public services, without which the most vulnerable people in our society would suffer hugely. Our members who work providing these services deserve fair pay,” she emphasised. 

Pay terms of the new deal 

If the terms of the new deal are accepted in the forthcoming ballot, the pay terms of the new agreement are valued at 9.25% over two years (October 2024 to October 2026): 

2024 

• A general round increase in annualised basic salary of 2.25% backdated to 1st October 2024 

2025 

• A general round increase in annualised basic salary of 1% on 1st April 2025 
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary of 2% on 1st November 2025 

2026 

• A general round increase in annualised basic salary of 2% on 1st April 2026 
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary of 2% on 1st October 2026. 

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