Community employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors are balloting on a final offer from the Department of Social Protection designed to resolve a long-standing pensions issue.

The offer takes the form of a once-off payment, which the Government has valued at more than €24 million. The union’s CE Supervisors branch is recommending in favour of the deal, and the ballot will close on 22nd December.

The qualifying period for the payment runs from 1st June 2008 to 31st December 2023. It will apply to all periods of employment as a CE supervisor or assistant supervisor worked within that timeframe, with the end date aligned with the commencement of an auto-enrolment pension scheme currently in design.

Qualifying personnel must have a minimum of two years accumulated service during the qualifying period, and the payment is limited to a maximum of two weeks’ pay per year of service, or part thereof, subject to a cap of €600 a week.

In a note to accompany ballot papers, the branch said documents from the department had been considered in great detail, including a number of clarifications which had been sought by unions.

“While the final offer is not as good as we would have hoped for, the branch executive has decided, following lengthy discussions, to recommend acceptance and to put the document to a ballot of members.

“It should also be noted that this recommendation for acceptance is also on the provision of furthering other long standing issues, pay increases, improved terms and conditions, and your branch executive remains wholly committed to progressing these and all other issues of concern to members once the ballot is concluded,” it said.

Fórsa official Tony Martin said bringing the issue to a ballot of members was a positive step to bringing the long-standing matter to a satisfactory conclusion. “A good many people who will qualify have already retired, and this offer, should it be accepted, will boost incomes and give recognition to the Labour Court finding in 2008.

“It has not been an easy road for the Fórsa members affected by the delay in implementing the original recommendation, and the branch committee has shown an admirable resolve throughout the intervening 13 years,” he said.