Unions in care sector to step up industrial action

Ireland

Workers in the care, community and voluntary sector will escalate their campaign of industrial action to secure a first pay rise in 14 years. This follows the failure of the government to engage with unions after the selected strike action earlier in July. The government is key to the dispute as the trade unions want a guarantee that it will increase funding to the organisations to ensure that pay increases can be paid. The trade unions, SIPTU, Fórsa and INMO, are supported by the ICTU confederation in their “Valuing Care, Valuing Community” campaign and they jointly agreed to ballot members across the sector for an intensified campaign of industrial action commencing in September. The Health Service Executive relies heavily on the community and voluntary sector to deliver services but these organisations face unsustainable staffing shortages and annual staff turnover of around 30% because of poor pay.

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