Audrey Tormey of NCBI and Jacintha Hayden of Delta services CLG in Carlow were among the Fórsa members who took to their respective picket lines last week as part of the 24-hour stoppage in Section 39 agencies.

Audrey took part in a number of media interviews from the picket line, including a live interview on RTE’s Sean O’Rourke programme. She told the programme: “We don’t want to be on strike but we feel we have no choice but to come out on a matter of principle, for pay restoration. We’re ten years waiting on this matter to be resolved.”

Audrey and other colleagues spoke to Virgin Media News: “It’s unfair that half of Section 39 agencies have had their pay restored. We haven’t, we don’t see why, that’s why we’re on the picket line.”

Communications officer Niall Shanahan spoke about the dispute live on KCLR fm: “As a new government is in the process of being formed we wanted to send a message to the incoming government that this is an issue that needs to be resolved, it’s unfinished business from the last administration. We remain focused on a negotiated solution, but we have a mandate for further strike action if it proves to be necessary.”

The Irish Times reported: “Further strike action by workers in State-funded organisations providing health and social services is inevitable unless they receive restoration of pay cuts at the same pace as public servants.” Speaking to reporters on the NCBI picket line on Whitworth Road in Dublin, Forsa’s General Secretary Kevin Callinan said: “We will be saying to any incoming government that this needs to be fixed and fixed quickly.”

‘Poor relation’

Jacintha Hayden is a social care worker and Fórsa representative, she’s worked with Delta services CLG for six years. Delta provides day and residential care to adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.

In a case study issued to media outlets Jacintha Hayden explained her reasons for supporting the strike action.

“Agencies like ours seem to be the poor relation when it comes to pay restoration. There’s been pay restoration in the public sector and the larger Section 39 agencies have had pay restored but only after they fought for it.

“Now we’re having to fight for it too. It shouldn’t have come to this, our pay should have been restored in line with the other organisations.

“We work hard. We provide a valuable service. We should be paid accordingly. The delay has led to this strike action which has unanimous support among the staff.

“They feel very strongly about this and our union membership has increased as a result. They recognise that we’ve fallen behind where we should be in terms of pay and that it’s time to take a stand.

“We just want a fair day’s wage for the work we do, and that’s not happening right now. The HSE need to step up and resolve this by restoring the pay cut imposed during the economic crisis. Things have moved on. There’s no excuse for leaving workers like us behind.”