Talks between Fórsa and the HSE in the Career Pathway Review dispute came to a standstill last week. As a result, the union has formally requested a return to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in a final attempt to resolve the outstanding matters. This has been scheduled for Wednesday 29^th February 2024.

Since December, there have been three meetings between the HSE and Fórsa to finalise agreement on staff to senior progression for eight Health and Social Care Professions, namely members working in dietetics, orthoptics, occupational therapy, podiatry, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, social care work, and social work within the HSE and HSE funded services.

A staff-to-senior career pathway has been a longstanding demand from the union. Proposals were agreed at the WRC in September and December 2023 following extensive engagement. These proposals built on the recommendation contained in the Career Pathway Review interim report published in 2020.

The most recent discussions focused on the bottoming out of the process already commenced in primary care, the appropriate pathway for social workers in primary care and the implementation of an equitable staff-to-senior pathway outside of primary care.

Fórsa secured agreement in relation to the grade progression from basic to senior social work in primary care, and the parties will continue to engage on a job description for social work in primary care.

However, though the engagement was constructive it ultimately ended in an impasse between the parties on several significant matters. As a result, we have formally requested a return to the Workplace Relations Commission in a final attempt to resolve the outstanding matters.

National Secretary Linda Kelly said members are right to be frustrated by the slow progress. “This issue has been ongoing for three years now. Just under two months ago we were confident that the agreement reached at the WRC in December 2023 would create the staff-to-senior pathway. Now it seems that the HSE is retreating from those proposals”.

Linda continued “These meetings in January were due to agree procedural specifics. Instead, we are at an impasse and have had to resort to a final return to the WRC. Our members gave us a clear mandate in 2023 to act on this issue, so it’s really disappointing to see progress stalled. The Dispute Committee will have to consider the appropriate next course of action should resolution not be reached at the WRC.”

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