After weeks of negotiations which ended without agreement, unions are to begin consultation with members in Section 39 (health and disability services), Section 56 (services to children), Section 40 (DV/DVA services) and Section 10 (homeless and addiction services) in relation to seeking pay parity with workers in similar positions employed directly by the state.

Last October a planned strike by community healthcare and social care workers was put on hold after late-night negotiations secured an eight per cent pay offer. Staff in these organisations are paid far less than their counterparts doing equivalent work in the HSE. The link to public service pay for the majority of our members working in the community and voluntary sector was broken in 2009 following the financial crash.

The agreement included a commitment to reengage when a successor to the Building Momentum agreement was reached.

Following the ratification of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026 negotiations began and have continued over the past months. However, the Department of Health and the Department of Children, the funding departments, are resisting matching the pay terms of the latest public sector pay deal.

In a joint letter to members ICTU, Fórsa, the INMO, and SIPTU outlined the reasons talks had ended without agreement, which include refusal by the funding departments to make reasonable pay offers for community and voluntary sector workers, as well as their refusal to confirm that terms of any new agreement would be applied to all union members.

“We are now facing a situation where the funding departments are refusing to fully honour terms of the October 2023 agreement. In addition, they are proposing to place conditions on any new agreement that would make it impossible for unions ad their members to accept.”

Fórsa’s head of health and welfare, Ashley Connolly, said “It’s incredibly disappointing that we have ended up back in this situation. Last year our members made it clear to government that their work deserved respect and fair pay.”

“We must consult with members across the community and voluntary sector to agree the next steps in this long and difficult campaign for fair pay”.

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