Concerns over payment of increases by Christmas
by Mehak Dugal
 
Fórsa is demanding that the payment is processed in time for Christmas as people head into a winter of particularly high living costs.
Fórsa is demanding that the payment is processed in time for Christmas as people head into a winter of particularly high living costs.

Fórsa and other health unions have sought an urgent meeting with the HSE over concerns the new building momentum increases won’t be paid in time for Christmas.

 

This is in contrast with other parts of the civil and public service where the ‘back-payments’ from February as well as the 1% increase due in October are already being rolled out.

 

The group of unions sought an urgent meeting with senior HSE officials to get clarification on the expected date of payment and ensure all healthcare workers are paid in full for all outstanding monies due to them under agreements prior to Christmas.

 

The group has also stated that if engagement and payment is not forthcoming, the unions will regard this as a breach of Building Momentum and refer the matter to the Public Services Advisory group.

 

The health unions have criticised the lack of communication and urgency on the employer’s part in resolving the matter.

 

While it was confirmed by the HSE that arrears on basic would be paid before Christmas, there was no clarification on the position in relation to the arrears on premium pay.

 

The unions were also informed that the 1% which is due from October 2022 would not be paid until quarter one of 2023.

 

The group of unions said healthcare workers required all payments to be made prior to Christmas as they too were suffering from the cost-of-living crisis, and called this another example of the “hands-off” approach treatment of the HSE and Section 38 organisations to their employees.

 

As per the newly ratified Building momentum agreement workers are to receive a once off 3% increase payment backdated to February, with a further 1% due from the beginning of October. A significant number of employees are also due an additional 1% from the start of February according to the sectoral bargaining terms.

 

Fórsa is demanding that the payment is processed in time for Christmas as people head into a winter of particularly high living costs.

 

Head of Fórsa’s health and welfare division Ashley Connolly said the HSE’s national director of HR did not respond to the unions’ previous request to meet and discuss the matter.

 

“The group is writing to the HSE again to seek this urgent meeting and we will be pursuing the matter relentlessly,” she said.

 

The revised pay measures had emerged from a review process necessitated by the surge in inflation, and the ongoing cost of living crisis, and followed negotiations between public service unions and the Government at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

 

The latest payscales are now available on the Fórsa website.

 

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