Feature Article
World expert in autism to speak in Ireland
by Bernard Harbor
 
Dr Temple Grandin is one of the world’s most iconic scientists, who has served as an inspiration and role model to hundreds of thousands of people with autism, along with their families. She will share her experiences and insights at the Nexus Stadium, Cork Institute of Technology, between 2.30pm and 5.00pm on Friday 18th August 2017.

Dr Temple Grandin is one of the world’s most iconic scientists, who has served as an inspiration and role model to hundreds of thousands of people with autism, along with their families. She will share her experiences and insights at the Nexus Stadium, Cork Institute of Technology, between 2.30pm and 5.00pm on Friday 18th August 2017.

The event, called ‘The world needs all kinds of minds: An afternoon with Dr Temple Grandin,’ has been organised by IMPACT’s Special Needs Assistants’ (Munster) Branch, and tickets are selling fast. IMPACT members can buy tickets, priced €30, here.

Dr Temple Grandin was one of the first individuals on the autism spectrum to share publicly insights from her personal experience of autism. Born in 1947, she is professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. In her capacity as an autism spokesperson, she is the author of many books on the subject of autism.

Dr Temple Grandin was named in the "Heroes" category of the 2010 Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.  She was the subject of the award-winning semi-biographical film Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes (star of Homeland).

At this event, Dr Temple Grandin will eloquently and candidly describe the challenges she has faced, and offer no-nonsense ideas about how others dealing with autism can meet these obstacles and improve the quality of their lives.

Get more information about Dr Temple Grandin here.

 

additional articles
National Museum outsourcing plan breaches agreement
by Martina O'Leary
IMPACT have objected to plans by National Museum management to outsource inventory work, this is the cataloguing of all collections across the museum.

In a letter to National Museum management, national secretary Angela Kirk said, "The work associated with the inventory project is core work and should be carried out by directly recruited Museum staff.”

Angela added that plans to outsource inventory work is in clear breach of the outsourcing protocol under the Lansdowne Road Agreement (LRA). "During negotiations for the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) the employer withdrew proposed changes to this, as such the outsourcing protocol still stands. IMPACT will raise the issue at the LRA Oversight Committee meeting for State Agencies in September,” she said.
Sleepover payment arrears – IMPACT follows the money
by Niall Shanahan
IMPACT has agreed a process by which the union will be able to check claims by HSE funded organisations (Section 38/39 organisations) that claim inability to pay sleepover rates to residential care staff. The agreed process will allow the union to “follow the money” and verify that organisations have been appropriately funded.

IMPACT successfully pursued the case for appropriate payment for sleepover duties, resulting in a Labour Court decision in 2014. This secured the replacement of sleepovers being paid through an allowance that averaged €40 per sleepover with the national minimum wage rate. This provides a payment of € 64.75 cents per seven-hour sleepover period.

However, IMPACT official Ian McDonnell said it’s come to the union’s attention that some Section 38/39 organisations have been refusing to pay the appropriate rate.

“We’ve had complaints from industrial officials and union branches that some agencies have been refusing to pay sleepover rates, as well as sleepover payments in arrears, while claiming that they haven’t received the necessary funding from the HSE. In some instances this also applies to other payments,” he said.

In a letter issued to IMPACT’s health branch secretaries (Monday 17th July) national secretary Eamonn Donnelly said the union raised the issue with HSE management. “That discussion led to written confirmation from Corporate Employee Relations Services (CERS) to the effect that all monies had been paid through the relevant Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) to these organisations. However, this hasn’t resolved the matter,” he said.

Eamonn said the union had raised the issue with the HSE again at a meeting of the National Joint Council 11th July, where the parties agreed that any claim by an organisation that it has not received appropriate funding would be referred directly to CERS. “CERS has a detailed record available of all monies paid to the Section 38/39 sector, and will be in a position to confirm definitively what any such organisation has received,” he said.

Ian said this effectively gives IMPACT an opportunity to “follow the money” and thereby help to resolve any outstanding problems with the correct payment of the rate for sleepover duties.
 
Harris engaged on physio standards
by Bernard Harbor
IMPACT has welcomed the decision of Simon Harris to re-engage with professional bodies over qualifications and the statutory professional registration of physiotherapists. The health minister has written to the union to say that he will consult on concerns that proposed legislation on professional registration won’t protect the safety of those who use physiotherapy services.

The union has called for amendments to the Health and Social Care Professions Act Amendment Bill, which passed the report stage in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health in July, to ensure that all those practising under the title “physical therapist” will have the requisite qualifications before gaining professional registration with the statutory body CORU. Along with Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP), IMPACT says patients could be put at risk unless the legislation is amended.

Earlier this month, the minister told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health that he would meet the ISCP and the Irish Association of Physical Therapists (IAPT) over the summer. He conceded that there were “legitimate concerns from the parties involved on issues such as the scope of practise and the assessment of professional competence.”

Four Oireachtas committee members – Alan Kelly (Labour), Louise O’Reilly (Sinn Féin), Kate O’Connell (Fine Gael) and John Brassil (Fianna Fáil) – agreed to withdraw amendments to the Bill on the basis of the minister’s commitment. But they reserved the right to re-introduce the amendments at report stage. The Minister also gave a commitment to circulate draft resolutions to committee members in advance of the Bill’s report stage.

At the request of the ISCP, IMPACT has instructed its physiotherapist members not to register with CORU until the issue is resolved. This instruction remains in place.

The union met a number of the Oireachtas health committee members in advance of yesterday’s committee stage of the Health and Social Care Professions Act Amendment Bill. The union sought amendments to the Bill in order to protect public safety and professional standards.
Minimum wage to rise
by Bernard Harbor

Unions have welcomed the Low Pay Commission’s recommendation that the statutory minimum wage should increase to €9.55. The proposed 30 cent rise is three times last year’s paltry 10 cent improvement, which was condemned by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

The Low Pay Commission, which includes union and employer reps as well as independent experts, was established two years ago to advise on the minimum pay rate. This year’s proposed increase equates to over 3% - in line with recent pay rises across the economy.

It is understood that independent members of the commission were persuaded by union arguments that, unlike last year, the increase should reflect what’s happening to wages in the wider economy.
Over 120,000 workers are set to benefit from the rise.

 

Historical union directory launched
by Bernard Harbor

The Historical Directory of Trade Unions in Ireland was launched in IMPACT’s Dublin office in July. Compiled by the highly-respected labour historians Frances Devine and the late John B Smethurst, the volume lists well over 1,000 organisations that have represented workers on the island of Ireland, including those still active today.

The project, which was sponsored by IMPACT, traced every trade union known to have operated on the island, north and south, showing how many have merged and amalgamated into the trade union movement we have today.

Speaking at the event, IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody said the work was “a testimony to the rich heritage of the trade union movement in Ireland, and to its continued influence and activity in the service of working people, their families and their communities.”

Author Frances Devine said the book was necessarily incomplete “because the most important chapter is what happens next, as trade unions continue to work for justice in society and fairness in the workplace.”

The tome was formally launched by Dublin Lord Mayor Mícheál MacDonncha. “This publication tells an amazing story, demonstrating how Irish working people have organised themselves for better pay and working conditions,” he said.

Copies of the directory can be purchased from the Irish Labour History Society.

Combined Services Third World Fund
by Martina O'Leary
The Combined Services Third World Fund (CSTWF) operates on a voluntary basis in the Civil Service, An Post, eir, Vodafone and other state agencies.

Subscribers to the fund contribute between one and two cent of every €10 of pay or pension. Founded in 1980 by the trade unions representing workers in each of the sectors, the fund has made in excess of 1,800 development grants, and over 40 emergency aid grants, totalling €8m.

In 2016 the Combined Services Third World Fund (CSTWF) spent almost €270,000 on 42 projects in the developing world. According to the 2016 annual report the projects vary from the provision of safe water for communities to buying an X-ray machine for a hospital in Masaka.

If you would like to join the fund visit the website or see the 2016 annual report here.
NEWS
IMPACT members back pay deal
by Bernard Harbor
 
IMPACT members have backed the proposed new public service pay agreement by a margin of 78% to 22% on a 52% turnout, with just five branches voting against the deal. The union has almost 60,000 members, including 50,000 in the public sector.

Announcing the outcome of the national ballot, the union called for immediate talks on iniquities in pay arrangements for staff who entered the public service after January 2011 if, as seems likely, there is majority cross-union support  for the deal. Other union ballots are currently underway.

See how your branch voted HERE.
PSSA – your questions answered HERE.

IMPACT members have backed the proposed new public service pay agreement by a margin of 78% to 22% on a 52% turnout, with just five branches voting against the deal. The union has almost 60,000 members, including 50,000 in the public sector.

Announcing the outcome of the national ballot, the union called for immediate talks on iniquities in pay arrangements for staff who entered the public service after January 2011 if, as seems likely, there is majority cross-union support  for the deal. Other union ballots are currently underway.

If accepted, the PSSA will facilitate negotiations on the so-called ‘new entrants’ issue, which saw lower pay scales introduced for staff who joined the public service in 2011 and after. Although the scales were merged in 2013, it still takes ‘new entrants’ two years longer than other public servants to reach the top of their pay scales.

IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan said he believed the PSSA process could result in the removal of two incremental points from most pay scales. This would mean faster progress up the scale for new entrants, and an equal scale-length for staff who joined the public service before and after 2011.

“The PSSA will see the restoration of pay cuts and a significant proportion of the so-called pension levy for the vast majority of public servants, including new entrants. This is a good outcome, soured by the corrosive iniquity between pre- and post-2011 staff which, in the public service, is now the number one legacy of the crisis. It needs to be dealt with urgently and conclusively.

“If the majority of unions vote to accept the PSSA, IMPACT will be demanding that this work begins as soon as the ICTU Public Services Committee meets in mid-September to confirm the ballot outcome. I believe we should be in meaningful talks before the end of September. We need to find imaginative ways of resolving the problem in every part of the public service, including the education sector,” he said.

IMPACT said it would continue to avail of outsourcing protections which, on the unions’ insistence, were maintained in the new agreement, to guard against privatisation. The union also said it would be consulting with relevant groups of members before utilising the agreement’s procedures for examining recruitment and retention difficulties in certain parts of the public service. And it insisted that local public service employers must be held to the implementation of agreed measures to develop family-friendly work practices.

IMPACT said it would also seek the application of the PSSA pay terms in the state-funded community and voluntary sector, and said it would continue to pursue pay rounds for its members in commercial enterprises. And the union highlighted its determination to make progress on pension issues for members who are not covered by the agreement, but who deliver public services. These include community employment supervisors and staff in the school completion service.

See how your branch voted HERE.
PSSA – your questions answered HERE.
Roscommon win on flexitime
by Bernard Harbor
 
The Labour Court has backed IMPACT’s view that Roscommon County Council cannot reduce annual flexi leave arrangements. In a recommendation issued last week the Court said there should be no change in the current facility to take 13 days flexi leave a year. Management had wanted to reduce this to just two days.

The Labour Court has backed IMPACT’s view that Roscommon County Council cannot reduce annual flexi leave arrangements. In a recommendation issued last week the Court said there should be no change in the current facility to take 13 days flexi leave a year. Management had wanted to reduce this to just two days.

IMPACT official Eddie Walsh said the union warmly welcomed the recommendation, which confirms that Roscommon council staff should have the same rights as their colleagues throughout the local government sector. “We will be seeking the immediate implementation of this decision and we have sought an early meeting with management to make that happen,” he said.

The dispute arose after council management tried to unilaterally alter the existing flexi-time arrangements, ignoring an earlier non-binding Labour Court recommendation.

The latest Labour Court recommendation, which is binding on both sides, pointed to the Haddington Road agreement’s provisions on flexi-time, which say: “no change is proposed to the existing terms with regard to the amount or the use of hours to be carried over.” That protection carried into the current (Lansdowne Road) agreement and will remain in force if the new Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) is backed by a majority of public service union members.

Staff undertook industrial action after council management moved to gut the Roscommon scheme by cutting the number of available days from 13 to two, reducing the amount of worked-up time that could be carried over from month to month, and taking  control of the scheme away from line managers who understand local service needs.

Staff had refused to answer phones at certain times and stopped work outside normal working hours, in a bid to win back their rights.The union says flexi-time is of most benefit to low paid women workers with childcare commitments, because it allows them work up time, which that can later be taken as leave or flexible working.
Early years report highlights gender pay issue
by Niall Shanahan
 
A report published last week (Thursday 27th July), Working Conditions of the Early Years Education and Care Sector, has exposed a significant gender pay gap. The report was published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs.

Early Education is a profession where 98% of employees are women, in a sector characterised by low rates of pay and substandard working conditions.The chronic lack state investment continues to exacerbate the existing problem of low pay for highly qualified professionals in the sector. This lack of investment also sharply increases the cost of childcare, a key factor in the gender pay gap across all sectors of the economy.

A report published last week (Thursday 27th July), Working Conditions of the Early Years Education and Care Sector has exposed a significant gender pay gap. The report was published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs.

Responding to the publication of the report, IMPACT organiser Lisa Connell said “Early Education is a profession where 98% of employees are women, in a sector characterised by low rates of pay and substandard working conditions.

“The chronic lack of state investment continues to exacerbate the existing problem of low pay for workers in this sector, the vast majority of whom are highly qualified professionals. This lack of investment also sharply increases the cost of childcare. This is a key factor in the gender pay gap across all sectors of the economy,” she said.

Lisa said the current level of investment, based on existing capitation rates, force pay levels that do not value the importance of early education and care.

The report shows that the average rate of pay for early educators is €10.27 per hour. “Those who are working in the sector cannot financially afford to remain within it, especially with increasing standards of living, soaring rents and general living costs.
 
“As a direct result of lack of investment many services operate at a ‘break-even’ point, while trying to cut costs through staff wages and administrative sources. Many of the women working in the sector are forced to sign on the dole during the summer period. This is an unsustainable model,” she said.

The report highlights the need for a full cost analysis by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs - with significant input from the Department of Finance - in order to inform both policy development and future funding proposals. Lisa said this approach has the potential to improve the success of new schemes. “It would create more favourable and sustainable working conditions for all those employed in the sector and improve the quality of services for children.”

IMPACT Deputy General Secretary, Kevin Callinan, said “The priority for this sector lies in investment and increased funding. Those who are providers in the sector will rely on increased investment to fund the introduction of professional pay and payscales. We’re continuing our campaign to ensure that more investment is at the core of Department policy.

"It’s a very welcome step to see movement on important issues within the Early Years sector. We believe the introduction of appropriate payscales and recognition of qualifications will be vital in addressing the professionalisation of the sector.

"We also believe that consultation with the sector will be crucial to ensuring that any and all changes are made with the expert knowledge of Early Years professionals," he said.

IMPACT’s campaign (EarlyImpact), on behalf of its members working in the early education and care sector, is seeking the professionalisation of early education, in addition to greater state investment into the sector.

The union has said more investment is crucial to facilitate professionalised pay scales that reflect the value of early education, and the professional qualifications of the people who deliver the service.

If you would like to get involved with EarlyImpact and help us with our campaign to ensure professionalisation and increased sector funding, please contact organisers Lisa Connell or Grace Williams
Voluntary sector review an opportunity to futureproof health services
by Niall Shanahan
 
IMPACT National Secretary Eamonn Donnelly
IMPACT National Secretary Eamonn Donnelly

IMPACT has said a newly appointed independent review group, to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health services, provides an opportunity to review the funding model for those organisations.


The review group, to be chaired Dr Catherine Day was announced in July by the Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD.

IMPACT has said a newly appointed independent review group, to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health services, provides an opportunity to review the funding model for those organisations.

The review group, to be chaired Dr Catherine Day was announced in July by the Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD.  

The terms of reference provide for:

  • An examination of current arrangements across the health and social care sector 
  • Consideration of issues currently arising, and those likely to arise in the future 
  • Recommendations on how the relationship between the State and voluntary organisations should evolve in the future. 

IMPACT national secretary Eamonn Donnelly said the review provides a long overdue opportunity to look at how voluntary organisations providing health services are funded. “The review group needs to look at the issues highlighted by IMPACT in our Caring At What Cost campaign.

“Any examination of current arrangements needs to look at how the sector is funded, and to recommend measures to ensure the sustainability of services through adequate funding. IMPACT is looking for our concerns to be placed at the centre of this review, which the terms of reference are well designed to accommodate.

“In particular, any recommendations on how the relationship between the State and voluntary organisations should evolve in the future needs to carefully consider the funding model.

“Until the funding of community and voluntary organisations is addressed, the capacity of the sector to provide services will continue to be eroded. As a society, we can’t afford to allow that to happen. We have an ageing population with growing care needs. We need to futureproof the sector, and this review should be a first step to toward achieving that goal,” he said.

Minister Harris said, “Voluntary and non-statutory providers, including religious and faith-based organisations, have made an enormous contribution to the provision of health and personal social services in Ireland over centuries. Their role in providing care to people, at a time when in many cases the State failed to do so, has led to the complex tapestry that is our current health system. The role played by these organisations, how they are organised and their arrangements with the State have changed over the years and we can expect further changes to emerge over time.”

The Minister added: “I want to be clear at the outset that I am not entering this process with any pre-conceived beliefs or views on what future arrangements should be, or how the relationship between the State and voluntary providers should develop. I truly want this process to openly and impartially identify and consider these issues. I would encourage all stakeholders and interested parties to contribute to this and to engage in the process in a positive and constructive way. The time is right to do this; now as a country let’s do it right.”


It is expected that the group will report to the Minister within a year.

Pay gap still centre stage
by Lughan Deane
 
Events of the past fortnight have demonstrated that more disclosure of information is the means towards progress on Ireland’s stubbornly high gender pay gap.

Events of the past fortnight have demonstrated that more disclosure of information is the means towards progress on Ireland’s stubbornly high gender pay gap. Fierce debates over pay gaps at RTÉ and the BBC have demonstrated the power of disclosure on this issue. Comment sections, meanwhile, are laden with pieces supporting legislation that would require large employers to publish their internal data.

This legislation - the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2017  – would, by requiring organisations with 50 or more staff to reveal their average gender pay gap, result in the publication of precisely the kind of hard information the columnists are calling for. The Bill recently passed its second stage with all-party support in the Seanad.

Similar measures were recently introduced in Britain, with the broad support of employers’ organisations. Sarah Henchoz, employment partner at law firm Allen and Overy, said this was “likely to do more for pay parity in five years than equal pay legislation has done in 45.” Irish employers’ groups have claimed that gender pay transparency won’t change anything. The events of the last week or so suggest they are mistaken.

Compulsory reporting of organisations’ gender pay gaps would shine a light on inequity and enable businesses and consumers to take account of the gender pay gap when making decisions about how they spend their money. It would also help decent employers to compete for the best talent in the labour market.

It would certainly encourage businesses to identify the causes of the gender pay gap in their organisations and take measures to address them. In so doing, they would add value to their brands.

Above all, a legal requirement on pay gap reporting would send a strong signal that Ireland doesn’t just care about equal pay, but that we mean to do something decisive about it. At the current rate of action, the United Nations says it will take 70 more years before women’s average pay matches men’s.

That’s far too long.

For more see the latest IMPACT blog: Broad employer support for gender pay gap reporting

 

Special education spending an investment, not a cost
by Bernard Harbor
 
Responding to media reports of “alarm” in Government over the cost of special education, IMPACT has said that spending on special education is an investment, not a cost. IMPACT official Barry Cunningham said ministers should be proud, rather than alarmed, that Ireland is now spending more on special education than in the past.
Responding to media reports of “alarm” in Government over the cost of special education, IMPACT has said that spending on special education is an investment, not a cost.

IMPACT official Barry Cunningham said ministers should be proud, rather than alarmed, that Ireland is now spending more on special education than in the past.

Barry said a recent news report in the Irish Times carried all the hallmarks of pre-budget kite flying. “SNA’s are rightly concerned that the focus of the leak was entirely on costs, with no reference to improved educational outcomes or the rights of children with special needs.

“The Government and its officials should be proud, not alarmed, that we are spending more on special education than in the past. This is an investment in our children and our schools, which is paying dividends as more and more of our citizens are being equipped to contribute to our economy and society,” he said.

Barry said there was a 4-5 year period of stagnation in SNA funding and provision during the economic crisis, despite growing unmet need, and added that SNAs have not been consulted on a “new system” of allocating SNA resources, which was referenced in the newspaper report.

He said access to education for children with special needs had been radicalised as a result of the SNA scheme. “The education department appears to be spinning a ‘new model,’ yet the people who use and deliver special education supports have not been consulted at all. This looks like an entirely cost-driven initiative, and we are determined to guard against any changes that will take away a child’s life-changing right to have their needs assessed and get the supports they depend on,” he said.

IMPACT has called for the recommendations of a January 2016 joint Oireachtas committee report into the role of SNAs to be taken into account in any review of special education provision. Among other things, the report recommended improved continuous professional development for SNAs.

The Oireachtas report also called on the education department and the National Council for Special Education Needs “to consider the potential benefits for students and the wider classroom of using the wide range of skills possessed by Special Needs Assistants which may aid in the learning process and management of the classroom.”

See also:
Analysis: State is playing catch-up in education policy after years of neglect - The Irish Times (Carl O'Brien) Saturday 22nd July 2017