Ireland
Fórsa, INMO and SIPTU – the three unions representing staff working in community and voluntary sector agencies funded by the Health Services Executive (HSE) have served fresh pay claims on a number of employers in the sector in the context of an ongoing dispute about pay. Workers in these agencies are on lesser terms and conditions than their counterparts working directly for the HSE. The government has recognised that it is the main and often sole funder of these organisations, and that its funding affects the ability of agencies to improve pay and conditions. Until 2008, workers in these agencies received pay increases under national wage agreements but this link was cut during austerity measures. There was some pay restoration in 2019, but pay in these agencies, where there is no formal mechanism for collective bargaining, remains significantly below that of comparable jobs in the public sector.
