The ongoing issue of €7.5 million in unpaid backdated premium payments to 400 social care staff at the Brothers of Charity and Ability West services in Galway and Roscommon has been raised in the Dáil by independent TD Denis Naughten. Mr Naughten represents the Roscommon/South Leitrim constituency.
IMPACT official Padraig Mulligan is currently coordinating a campaign to secure the payment of the twilight premium (time and one sixth between 8pm and midnight) arrears for social care workers.
Mr Naughten raised the question of the backdated payments this week with the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar. Mr Naughten said “What is frustrating for the staff is that the HSE has continued to pay its own staff the twilight premium in recent years. The HSE recently paid arrears to the social care staff of agencies in Dublin such as Home Again Traveller, Families Care and Cottage Home for Little Children, but it is refusing to pay the same arrears to social care workers and leaders in Galway and Roscommon.
“Will the Minister intervene and direct the HSE to honour its commitment? In light of how it has paid its own staff the twilight premium and the staff of a number of organisations in Dublin their arrears, the same should apply to staff in Galway and Roscommon and they should get the €7.5 million that they are due in arrears without delay” he said.
The minister responded that the HSE gave a commitment last November to actively pursue the provision of resources to the agencies to enable payment of the premium from 1 January 2015. “I am informed that the payment of the twilight premium has commenced since 1 January but there remains a continuing issue of retrospective payments, as the Deputy mentioned. This is being pursued by the Impact trade union and was the subject matter of the latest LRC engagement on 3 March.
“The HSE has indicated that it is not in a position to consider any retrospective payment at this time and has advised that it is engaging in a broader national process to determine the overall extent of issues relating to the non-application of twilight premiums in sections 38 and 39 agencies. It is expected that this process will be finalised on 17 April. Together with the employers directly involved in Galway and Roscommon, the HSE has indicated a willingness to return to the LRC at that stage” he said.
Deputy Naughten responded that arrears had been paid in sections 38 and 39 organisations in Dublin. “Why are we treating staff in Galway and Roscommon differently than staff in Dublin where the same liability applies and the latter had not traditionally been receiving the twilight premium? Where arrears have accrued, payment is being made to staff in Dublin but not to staff in Galway and Roscommon.”
“In fairness to the staff involved, they do outstanding work in sometimes difficult circumstances, particularly in recent years due to changes in work practices and resources. There has been a major shift in how they operate their services. We should try to meet this liability, given the fact that it is being paid in one part of the country” he said.
The minister explained that bodies are given money by the HSE on the basis of service level agreements and are supposed to provide those services within the budgets allocated to them. “It may be the case that the bodies in Dublin mentioned by the Deputy decided to pay the arrears out of their allocations whereas, for whatever reason, the similar agencies in Galway and Roscommon decided not to do so. I do not know, but that is my best guess for why there is a disparity. However, this issue will be resolved through the LRC and its ongoing work. That is the best place for the issue to be resolved” he said.
A video of the Dáil exchange is available here.
Padraig has run a series of information meetings in cooperation with Siptu. The next information meeting takes place at The Abbey Hotel, Roscommon next Wednesday (1st April) from 12 noon to 3pm.
