Work-to-rule action by staff at St Christopher’s disability services in Longford will be suspended from close of business today (Friday) to facilitate a ballot of the union’s 170 members on a new deal to resolve the current dispute.

The action, which has been in place since mid-November, followed the breach of a 2021 collective agreement on the payment of increments.

Following a series of direct engagements with St Christopher’s management in recent weeks, the union negotiated a set of proposals designed to bring the current dispute to a conclusion.

St Christopher's Services has an annual deficit, between income and expenditure, of €3m and currently has several staff performing the same role on two different pay scales (2021 and 2023).

Under the terms of the new proposals – which Fórsa members will vote on next week – a series of steps will be taken next year to harmonise the pay scales. 

From 1st January next, all staff currently on the 2021 pay scale will move to the 2022 pay scale, and from 1st July 2025, all staff in St Christopher's will move to the October 2023 pay scale.  

In addition, St Christopher’s will move all qualifying staff (those who are not currently on the top of their scale) up one point on the scale, effective from 1st January next.

Management has also committed to moving all qualifying staff up a further one point on the pay scale in 2025, subject to achieving €150k in cost savings, which will be ringfenced and used to finance this pay measure.

Fórsa official Tony Martin said the measures satisfied the union’s requirements to end the dispute, and the resolve and efforts of the members at St Christopher’s had helped to grow the union’s membership: “It’s been a long and very challenging road that Fórsa members have taken to reach this point.

“However, our efforts have been fruitful. We’ve built a good dialogue with the new CEO and we are making preparations now to hold a ballot on these proposals. 

“We will be putting it to a ballot of members beginning Monday (16th) closing at 12 noon on Wednesday (18th).

"We will be recommending acceptance of these proposals. Ultimately, Fórsa members will decide on their merits, and they’ve been endorsed by our national disputes committee. I think it illustrates just what can be achieved when we move, as one, together,” he said.

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