Mayo care workers threaten escalation of industrial action amid broken government promises
A large group of care workers from across Mayo gathered outside local council buildings this evening, protesting against the government’s failure to address pay parity for workers in the sector. The protest highlighted mounting frustrations over unmet commitments to improve pay for Section 39 workers.
Addressing the crowd, SIPTU representative Deborah Reynolds said discussions between SIPTU, Fórsa, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), and the government had broken down. Reynolds emphasised that the workers had been promised pay talks this year, but those talks have yet to materialise.
"Care workers in this country have been undervalued for too long," Reynolds stated. "They received an 8% pay increase last year after waiting 14 years, but now they are on the brink of industrial action." The rising cost of living has exacerbated issues for workers who don’t want to wait another decade for a pay rise.
She warned that if necessary, workers would ballot for further action, up to and including strikes. "An eleventh-hour agreement was reached in 2023, linking to more pay talks this year. That promise has been broken."
Silke Ginty, a shop steward, spoke about the growing challenge of staff retention, describing how the sector is struggling to recruit and retain workers. “The country is at full employment, and it’s extremely difficult to attract people to this profession when the pay is not competitive with other sectors,” she said.
Ginty illustrated the impact of staff shortages impacting the most vulnerable in society as she mentioned a mother she knew who had to quit her job to care for her son due to the lack of available care workers. “We simply can’t find enough people willing to work under these conditions,” she added.
Sinn Féin deputy Rose Conway-Walsh, sharply criticised the government for “reneging” on its commitments. “These workers do some of the toughest jobs imaginable,” she said. “The government has broken its promise not once, but twice. If nothing changes, these workers will have no choice but to down tools.”
Conway-Walsh called it a “disgrace” that Section 39 care workers are paid less than others, despite the challenging nature of their jobs. “We’re in a country with €24 billion available to spend, and yet the government is failing to address this issue. They even spent €10 million trying to return money to Apple, when that amount could have made a significant difference for care workers.”
She concluded by stating, “The government must act now. This issue is squarely at their door.”
Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers who is a candidate for her party at the upcoming general election also attended the protest to hear the concerns of workers from Western Care, Rehab and the Irish Wheelchair Association.