Members working in the community and voluntary sector, in Section 39, 10, and 56 organisations will be asked next week to vote on the recent pay proposal negotiated by Fórsa, SIPTU, the INMO and ICTU.

The ballot will open on Monday 6th of November and will close at noon on Tuesday 21st of November. Members who are eligible to vote will receive detailed instructions on how to vote by email.

The Health & Welfare Divisional Executive Committee is recommending a vote in favour of the pay proposal. Speaking ahead of the ballot opening, Fórsa national secretary Ashley Connolly said: “This agreement is a first step towards addressing the terms and conditions of workers in Section 39, 10 and 56 organisations. We are closer to pay parity than we have been in a decade. The agreement sets out a clear path for pay increases and there is a clear commitment to restoration of the link with public sector pay.”

She added: “This vote is also significant in terms of what happens next. A vote in favour will allow us to progress with further negotiations. If it does not pass, then we return to the drawing board.”

This is the first time the Government has acknowledged the need for sustainable funding in the sector, that the current lack of funding has led to a recruitment and retention crisis, and that the pay of workers in Section 39, 10 and 56 organisations has fallen behind equivalent and comparable grades in public service organisations. You can read the agreement HERE.

Information meetings for members are taking place and will continue to take place over the next 2 weeks. Details of these meetings issue to branches.

What is the pay proposal?

• An increase of 3% from 1 April 2023 (backdated)
• An increase of 2% from 1 November 2023
• An increase of 3% from 1 March 2024
• How does this relate to public sector pay?

If this deal is approved, then there will be meetings between unions and the Government before 1 December 2023, to negotiate further adjustments.

The pay proposal increases outlined above fall short of the 9.5% increase that was agreed in the Building Momentum public sector pay deal, however the next stage of the negotiations will seek to address the remaining gap, and to determine a mechanism to deal with any further increases from future public sector pay agreements.

An FAQ on the pay proposal is available here.

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