A LAST DITCH attempt to break the impasse and prevent health and community workers striking tomorrow is to take place at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) this afternoon. 

Union officials have confirmed that negotiations will take place at 2pm at the WRC today ahead of tomorrow’s planned strike action by workers in community and voluntary sector organisations which are funded by the Health Service Executive and other State agencies.

Workers in this sector are looking for an “unambiguous and clear commitment” that equal pay be restored to put them on parity with Section 38 workers (HSE workers).

Some 19 organisations will strike tomorrow, including Cobh Hospital, DePaul Ireland, Enable Ireland, St Lukes Nursing Home, and the Irish Wheelchair Association. 

The ballot for industrial action took place following the breakdown of WRC talks in July. 

Fórsa, SIPTU and INMO members are demanding that the Government end the pay inequality that has led to the planned strike action which will see workers go on strike “indefinitely”.

In the last hour, Fórsa issued a message to its members taking part in the strike action tomorrow and told them that principal parties from both sides of the dispute will meet today at 2pm. 

“We will attend this meeting, however at this time we are continuing to plan for our strike action to commence tomorrow morning at 8am,” the message read. 

Niall Shanahan, a Fórsa spokesperson, told The Journal that his members are also preparing to proceed with the strike if today’s last-minute talks fail.

“We have been invited into talks at the WRC for 2pm. If it was a very short meeting you might take from that things haven’t gone well and if they’re in there for several hours, then perhaps there’s a basis for agreement – we’re very much in a wait and see situation.

“But we can’t assume at this point there’ll be a resolution today so preparations are still being made for a strike,” he said.

Shanahan added: “Members are prepared to take this indefinite industrial action which reflects the level of frustration they feel over their terms and conditions.”

Tomorrow’s strike follows years of pay disparity between workers in Section 39 (health and disability services), Section 56 (services to children), Section 10 (homeless services), in community services and their counterparts employed directly by the state.

Although these workers are employed by organisations that are largely state-funded, they are on lesser terms and conditions than their HSE counterparts (Section 38 workers), the unions say. 

According to charity sector advocacy group The Wheel, the pay difference between these groups is at least 10% but could be as high as 20%. 

Because of that pay gap, research from Fórsa and the other unions has shown that workers are leaving their jobs in large numbers to take better-paid employment elsewhere.

According to Fórsa, the turnover of staff in the sector is around 30% per year and it pointed out that this is adding to recruitment costs and longer waiting lists.

Healthcare assistant Martha Buckley is a SIPTU member caring for older people who has never been on strike before.

She said on Friday: “The Government has forced us into this position by letting us down time and time again. We don’t want to be doing this, but we have no other option.

“We can’t retain staff on the wages we are being paid. It’s like a revolving door, we’re losing people every day to the HSE. The Government needs to step up really and find the funding that’s needed to settle this strike. 

She added: “It’s very sad. I think I’ll be crying on the picket line. We don’t want to do this.”

Commenting on tomorrow’s strike, Social Democrats’ leader Holly Cairns said last week’s Budget would have been the perfect opportunity to halt tomorrow’s action. 

“It is important to remember that the pay of Section 39 workers was historically aligned with that of HSE staff until cuts were imposed across the board during the recession in 2010,” she said.

“However, while rates for HSE staff have since been restored, pay parity for workers in the community and voluntary sectors never materialised.”

Cairns added that unless a solution is found today there will be “hundreds of people tomorrow who won’t be able to get out of bed, get a drink of water or get breakfast for themselves.”

“The Government were given 21 days’ notice of this strike action and it is incredible that no progress has been made during this time. The Minister for Health must immediately intervene to avert tomorrow’s action and prevent further chaos in already overstretched disability services around the country,” Cairns said.