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Fórsa has called on the Government to allocate funds in October’s Budget to begin shortening pay scales for public service ‘new entrants’ next year. This would be earlier than originally envisaged in the current public sector pay deal, the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA).

Speaking at the union’s Civil Service Division conference in Killarney last week, Fórsa joint general secretary Tom Geraghty accepted that no money was budgeted to resolve the injustice in 2018.

“While it is correct to say that no monies have been allocated to do this in 2018, I believe that Ireland’s strengthening economic and exchequer recovery means it should be possible to start funding it next year, rather than delaying until 2020 or beyond. That would require funds to be allocated in October’s Budget,” he said.

Tom and other officers of ICTU’s Public Services Committee will meet senior Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) officials to discuss the matter on Friday (27th April). The talks are taking place under the PSSA agreement, negotiated last summer, which allows for an “examination” of the new entrants’ pay issue.

Friday’s meeting is likely to be the first of a series of engagements dealing with the practicalities of equalising the length of pay scales. The Government has not conceded Fórsa’s call for some money to change hands next year, despite recent media reports that pay adjustments may be “on the way” for new entrants.

The union has also cautioned that media reports of payments averaging €3,300 a year are overblown, as this figure includes employer costs – like employers’ PRSI payments – which do not appear in pay packets.

The term ‘new entrants’ refers to those employed in the civil and public service since January 2011. Their pay scales are currently two points longer than those of other staff, which means it takes them two years longer to get to the top of their pay scale.

Negotiators must confront the technical challenges presented by the fact that the length of pay scales varies widely across the civil and public service. Unions also want to ensure that any solution is fair to all new entrants, regardless of how long they have been employed.

Tom said pay equity was a priority for all trade unions, which had addressed the inequity in various national pay talks. “Every bit of progress in addressing this injustice has been achieved by unions collectively, through national pay negotiations and public service pay agreements,” he said.

Fórsa’s Early Education branch has welcomed the recent focus on support for the future of the Early Years sector by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone.

In early April the minister called for further investment following a surge in the number of childcare providers seeking capital grant support to build or extend premises, following the extension of the free pre-school year.

Ms Zappone said: “While investment in the past three years is up 80 per cent to €485 million this year, we are still significantly short of the European average and Irish families are still struggling to meet the cost of childcare.”

Fórsa’s Early Education organiser Katie Morgan said the union has been lobbying the government for increased public investment in early education. “We have members working in the sector who are directly affected by the costs of trying to improve their facilities for their staff and the children they care for, so we welcome the minister’s calls for further investment.

“The minister describes it, correctly, as a dynamic sector, and she recognises that capital investment means greater accessibility,” she said.

Fórsa Early Years Executive member, Mick Kenny, said increased investment in capital grants is vital. “Short-changing services is essentially short-changing parents. Services face further financial instability if they choose to borrow money to build on or improve the services or quality of the building,” he said.

CPD - continuing professional development

The Early Education branch has also welcomed the minister’s more recent announcement of a new CPD initiative. The initiative has an initial investment of €3 million, and will include a bursary to help cover the costs of staff members availing of development training.

Katie explained: “We have members who cannot currently attend CPD courses due to either the cost entailed, the loss of wages or the lack of cover.  Early years workers will benefit from this pilot. We hope the pilot will be as accessible as possible.”

A formal announcement of details of the CPD initiative is expected in the coming weeks.

Katie said both announcements represent a small move forward for the Early Years sector. “These small changes are a step in the right direction for our members working in early years, but there is a long way to go. We are aware that the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is looking at the future of childcare as part of a comprehensive early-years strategy, which is due to be launched in the autumn. 

“That strategy, and its provisions, will be crucial to our members. The professionalisation of the early years workforce in Ireland, and improved investment for wage growth, need to be part of the strategy,” Katie said.

The Department of Health is to draft legislation to allow 14,000 carers to benefit from free GP care. The legislation is to provide in law for eligibility for GP services without charge to be extended to all those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit.

Announcing that he had received Cabinet approval to draft the legislation earlier this month, Minister for Health Simon Harris said, "This Government recognises the need for further supports for those who are caring for the most vulnerable in our society.

“This measure will enable people who are in receipt of full, or half-rate, Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit to qualify automatically for GP care without fees. Carers willingly give up a great deal to provide care to family members and others, and I hope that this concrete support from the State for their mental and physical wellbeing will help alleviate some of the strain," he said.

Government plans to provide free GP visit cards, and additional spending on respite care, were announced last December.

The measures were welcomed by Family Carers Ireland. However, the family carers advocacy organisation said that, as only one in four carers actually receive Carer’s Allowance - mainly due to the means test - the group has called for all carers in receipt of the Carer’s Support Grant to receive the card, extending the service to 25,000 additional carers.

Further supports and information for carers are available from the HSE here.

Family Carers Ireland website.