IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody has said that, in terms of achieving pay improvement in the public sector, he hoped that there would be a consensus between the employer and unions that the pension levy would be “a sensible place to start.”

Shay was taking part in a discussion about pay restoration on the Today with Sean O’Rourke radio programme last Monday (1^st December).

Shay emphasised that pay recovery was needed right across the economy, “Wage movement is just one ingredient of economic recovery, and public service pay improvement is just one element of that. The whole country needs a pay rise.

“Wherever it’s possible, and where employers can afford to, it’s good for domestic demand.  Be it in the public sector, or retail or manufacturing, wages should be increased. Wages haven’t been increased in seven or eight years.”

Economist Jim Power also took part in the discussion, acknowledging what he described as the “pain of public sector pay cuts” as well as cuts and job losses across the private sector. He said that people were generally more confident about the future but “don’t yet feel it in our pocket.”

While Power said that reductions to the Universal Social Charge (USC) would be of more widespread benefit, Shay said that these weren’t exclusive choices. He pointed out that both the USC and pension levy apply “at a very high rate and at a very low level” and described both as anomalies caused by the economic crisis.

“Now that we’re moving out of the crisis, pay increases right across the board would be beneficial. Those employers who can afford it in the private sector, including multinationals, are already increasing pay” he said.

On the question of Ireland’s economic circumstances in 2015, Shay said that it is now widely expected that the deficit will go below the 3% target set by the Troika, and that Ireland’s deficit and borrowing costs would be lower than those of France, Britain and other EU states.

Shay also spoke about the burden of private debt, and its continuing effect on domestic demand. “There are only two ways out of the burden of private debt and that is either a tax cut or pay improvement.”

On the question of pay comparisons with other EU states, Shay referred to Ciaran Lyng’s research for IMPACT in 2012, comparing the pay of German and Irish public sector workers.  The research showed that many grades, including clerical officers and school teachers, and at every point on the scale, German pay was higher and the cost of living significantly lower.

You can listen to the full discussion here (via RTE website)

Joe O’Connor, IMPACT organiser with the Boards & Voluntary agencies branch, addressed last night’s emergency forum on homelessness. He said we should no longer be talking about whether Government intervention is necessary in the private rental market, but that the discussion should now be about how the Government should intervene in that market.

The forum was convened by the Minister of Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly TD, and took place in the Customs House, Dublin. Joe added that all the economic indicators suggest that rental prices are almost certain to continue to rise in the short-term without some form of corrective action.

“There can be no question that emergency rent controls need to be introduced. The market is volatile and driven by a shortage of available rental accommodation. The immediate effect of current demand and market conditions is that those who are most exposed, because of lower incomes and other issues, are being squeezed into homelessness.

“Measures such as linking rent increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) would at least slow the brutal acceleration of rent costs” he said. Joe added that accelerating the construction of student accommodation, on sites such as the DIT campus at Grangegorman, was also necessary in order to ease pressure on Dublin’s private rented sector.

Joe also emphasised the need to press ahead with the implementation of the vacant land levy, which would see developers hit with charges for failing to bring their vacant sites into use. Minister Kelly responded directly to this, and said it will be part of the Planning Bill, which is to be published next week.

IMPACT’s Boards & Voluntary agencies branch represents hundreds of members working in frontline service provision, policy and advocacy within the homeless and housing agencies in Dublin. The branch has engaged in a continuing campaign to protect homeless services budgets this year and hosted the Roof is a Right  public meeting in September.

Joe told the forum that the branch continues to be proactive in its campaigning on the issue, and last week hosted a forum at IMPACT’s head office which was attended by representatives of the Peter McVerry Trust, Focus Ireland, the Simon Community, and included presentations by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) and the National Economic and Social Council (NESC).

“There is consensus among these groups that while the new social housing strategy and funding allocation in Budget 2015 are welcome, immediate interventions are needed in the market to halt the acceleration of what is fast becoming the worst homelessness crisis we’ve ever witnessed” he said.

Joe added that, while no changes are likely to be made to rent supplement in advance of the current review, the review process itself should be accelerated and should include the voices of those working in the sector.

An editorial in the Irish Times on Monday (1^st December) criticised a reported increase, of almost 11per cent, in the number of senior administrators working in acute hospitals operated by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The report was published on the paper’s front page last week.

Responding in the letters page yesterday (Thursday), national secretary Louise O’Donnell said that the number of senior managers constitutes just 1.1 per cent of the total number of staff employed in health services, and that the number of health service senior managers has remained at around the same level since 2007, while overall staff numbers have declined.

Louise wrote “It remains the most enduring myth of our health services that it is overburdened with clerical, administrative and management staff. Between 2009 and 2013, numbers of staff employed in these categories fell by more than any other, apart from “general support staff”.

IMPACT published a briefing paper in July this year - Health service clerical, administrative and management staffing levels - which reported that as few as 2% of all health service staff work in non-front line clerical, administrative and management roles.

Challenge

Louise said that a greater challenge for health services is “to ensure the crippling costs of agency staff are reversed, and that budgets can be used to employ more staff in areas where they are needed. This will increase the capacity of the service and, ultimately, improve the outcome for everyone who uses our health services.”

It was reported last week that the health service agency staff bill could reach €326m due to the rise in agency costs linked to the fall in the number of directly-employed staff in the health service. The HSE hopes to replace €140 million spent on agency staff with full-time employees. HSE boss Tony O'Brien is reported to have said that the new plan is "unrealistic."

Read Louise’s letter HERE.

The family of an IMPACT member and activist, Mary Gorman, is calling on the Irish public to sign a petition to get her urgent medical treatment.

Mary is from Co. Laois and worked as a physiotherapy manager until she was forced to retire due to ill-health. She was diagnosed with an ultra-rare and life-threatening blood disorder called Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH) in October 2012. Without treatment, the disorder can shorten life expectancy to between five and ten years. Since her diagnosis, Mary has suffered from acute kidney damage.

The medication Mary needs is the only known medication available worldwide for her condition. There are ten people already fully funded for this medication in Ireland. Mary has been waiting almost two years and her condition is deteriorating.

IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan has appealed to IMPACT members to support the petition. “At this extremely difficult time for Mary and her family, I am asking IMPACT members to sign this petition and show their solidarity” he said.

You can sign the petition here.

The latest CSO figures on pay, published last week, reveal that average annual earnings have fallen by almost €700 in the last three months, despite longer working hours.

The fall in weekly wages were more pronounced in the public sector, and upward pay movement is highest in the construction sector.

Average hourly earnings were €21.07 in the third quarter of 2014 compared with €21.36 in the same period last year, representing a decrease of 1.4% over the year.

Pay demand

The general secretary of ICTU, David Begg, has said he expects "pent-up" demand among workers to escalate into claims for pay increases of over 3per cent next year.

The Irish Times reported last week that pension levy cuts are likely to be the priority in future public service pay talks.

Related:

Blog: There’s a good reason for the private-public sector pay gap (September 2014)

IMPACT has agreed a pay deal with CHC helicopters which will see a pay award of 3% applying from May 2014 and a further 2% increase in September 2015.

The pay agreement runs until August 2016.

The agreement includes terms on performance management, retirement age and the company’s sick pay scheme.

IMPACT official Johnny Fox, who negotiated on behalf of IMPACT members at the company said “I’m delighted that we were able to secure this deal for members at CHC.

“The union has consistently argued that pay recovery is needed across all sectors. This is a significant pay award and reflects the outcome of a positive engagement with the employer” he said.

The division is anxious to use the opportunity to maximise the opportunities for existing staff, and has agreed an additional 200 posts in the sector at grade IV level.  The division has also reached an agreement with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) that all degree disciplines will be eligible to compete.  The posts will be offset against future external recruitment at grade IV level.

Confined competition for all grades

IMPACT has been seeking confined competitions for all posts in local government that arise from the workforce planning process. Up to now, only posts below senior executive officer level were to be filled by confined competition.  The union has reached agreement with local government employers at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) that posts at senior executive officer level (and above), will be filled by competitions confined to the local authority sector.

The Independent Commission on the duties of technical officers in the Department of Agriculture, established after industrial action earlier this year, is concluding soon. IMPACT representatives will attend a meeting next week (Wednesday 10^th December) with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Commission’s report will be binding on all parties and will determine the future of technical grades in the department.

The report of the six month LRC conciliation, which concluded in September, is also due to be published and is eagerly awaited by members of the Agriculture No. 1 branch. A number of issues were unresolved during the conciliation process, and these will now go to arbitration.

IMPACT assistant general secretary Chris Cully said the branch is approaching the end of a long and difficult process. “We believe the report will turn the tide on the migration of duties of the technical staff in the department. This will make the technical grades indispensible to the service delivery within the department” she said.

IMPACT’s CEC has made a donation to the Gloucester Diamond Family Fund which was established in order to offer assistance to three families displaced by a house fire last week in Gloucester Place off Sean McDermott Street.

Three homes housing four families were completely destroyed by the fire. IMPACT’s convener for the Municipal Workers’ division Thomas Murtagh explained, “Three homes housing four families were completely destroyed. Some were injured and are currently hospitalised, but thankfully there were no fatalities. The fund was established to assist the sixteen adults and children who lost their homes and all their possessions last week.”

The CEC made a donation to €5,000 to the fund, which was presented to the fund committee’s chairperson, Darryl O’Callaghan by deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan on Wednesday.

Three domestic workers were awarded €240,000 by the Employment Appeals Tribunal against the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for breaches of the workers’ employment rights.

Myra Calderon, Laylanie Laporga and Jennifer Villaranda were awarded €80,000 each at their unfair dismissal claim against the ambassador, Khalid Nasser Rashed Lootah, and his wife Mehra Metad Alghubaisi.

Jennifer Villaranda stated, “I am delighted with this outcome. The chairperson of the Tribunal was appalled by the level of exploitation we suffered. We worked for the ambassador 15 hours a day, 7 days a week and we were only paid only €170 per month – less than €2 per hour. We were constantly on call, our passports were taken and we never had a day off.”

1 in 5 Undocumented Migrants Living in Ireland for Over 10 Years

A groundbreaking new survey of undocumented migrants in Ireland has revealed that 1 in 5 undocumented people have lived in Ireland for over 10 years, and the vast majority have been here for more than five years. The research, launched last week by ICTU president John Douglas, was conducted the MRRCI along with undocumented migrants from MRCI’s Justice for the Undocumented campaign group.

“This research is the first of its kind in Ireland,” said MRCI’s Helen Lowry. “540 undocumented migrants responded to the survey, opening up about their jobs, their families and their lives in Ireland. We now have a picture of the undocumented population in Ireland. The vast majority are working – in restaurants, as cleaners, as carers and childminders – and a huge percentage have young children either here or in their country of origin.”

Key findings: of the 540 undocumented migrants surveyed,

• 81% have been here for 5 years or more
• 21% have been here for 10 years or more
• 87% are working
• 44% are parents
• 53% have 3rd-level education
• people of 29 different nationalities were surveyed, but the top 5 were Filipino, Chinese, Mauritian, Brazilian and Pakistani.
• 86.5% entered the country legally and subsequently became undocumented

The decision of the Government to push ahead with sex buyer laws has been welcomed by the 72 organisations, including IMPACT, that support the Turn off the Red Light campaign.

The new laws, which were included in the heads of the new Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2014, published last week by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD, will help ensure that organised criminals which are running prostitution will be put out of business.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI), welcoming the legislation, said it was an important milestone for women who have been through the horrors of prostitution and who had agreed to share their experiences with the political system in order to drive forward the democratic process.

The keen and creative writers among you will be interested to know that the Roberts’ short story competition, organised by the People’s College, is now open for entries.

The competition was established to honour the memory of  Ruaidhrí Roberts, founder of the People’s College, and his wife, Nora Roberts.

Award winning novelist and poet Niamh Boyce will judge the stories. They can be about any subject or issue and limited to 2,500 words. The closing date for entries is 28^th February 2015 and an entry fee of €10 applies.

The cash prizes are €1,000 for the winning entry, with prizes of €750 and €500 for second and third place.

A shortlist will be published on the People’s College website in April 2015 and the winners will be announced by June next year. Winning stories will be published on the College website and the first prize winner will also be published in the People’s College 2015 newsletter.

For more information and an application form click HERE.