Mayo councillors support Section 39 workers in pay parity campaign

MAYO councillors have voiced unanimous support for Section 39 and Section 56 workers seeking pay parity with colleagues in the public service.

They include over 1,000 employees of Western Care and the Irish Wheelchair Association, whose representatives attended yesterday's meeting of Mayo County Council where elected members supported a call for the Minister for Health and Junior Minister for Disability to immediately return to negotiations and honour a commitment given to secure fair pay for these essential workers.

Mayo care workers represented by SIPTU, FORSA and INMO protested outside council HQ in a campaign for pay parity, with negotations stalled and the government not engaging in meaningful talks.

Independent Councillor Harry Barrett, who tabled a motion, said these highly qualified people have for years suffered from low pay and disparity with their HSE equivalents. Now the government has walked away from any talks of pay parity, 'and that is unacceptable'.

All they were asking for was the same pay as their HSE colleagues, he said, and he called on the ministers to engage with the workers again.

There was support across the board in the council chamber for the motion, with Fine Gael's Councillor Peter Flynn saying they all agreed it was wrong and there should be parity across the board.

Councillor Patsy O'Brien (Ind.) said the biggest fear is that there will be a strike, which the workers didn't want, but they want parity and he was prepared to go to battle with them.

“We stand firmly behind ye,” Councillor Donna Sheridan (FG) told the workers in the public gallery, and they would bring the matter to their TDs.

The community, she added, would be lost without the work they do.

Pointing out there is an election coming up, Councillor Michael Kilcoyne (Ind.) said the workers had been misled, the government had given a commitment regarding an increase, but they hadn't got the money.

Personal experience in his family of carers and the different rates of pay was commented on by Sinn Féin's Councillor Gerry Murray, who said they often work longer than the assigned time.

He described the situation as 'exploitation' of their compassion and commitment to the people they are caring for.

Applying a cost benefit analysis of their work, they were saving the country billions and they had his 100% support, he added.

Issues of recruitment and retention in the sector were commented on by Councillor Paul Lawless (Aontú), which impacts hospitals as people cannot be discharged home.

All the workers were looking for was fair play and to be treated equally.

Fianna Fáil's Councillor Blackie Gavin asked that the motion be 'fast-tracked' to the minister and that it be implemented.

A case of serious injustice and victimisation is how Councillor Al McDonnell (FF) summed up the situation, saying these workers have a moral, ethical and legal entitlement.

Now that we are in election mode he would have no problem 'raising the heat'.