I thank the Deputy for the question. The 1,640 supervisors and assistant supervisors provide a very important role running over 840 community employment, CE, and other schemes countrywide. As the Deputy knows, these schemes deliver important locally-based community services, while providing a valuable training and development opportunity to the long-term unemployed and to those furthest removed from the labour market. CE supervisors and assistant supervisors are employees of the individual CE schemes, which are funded by the Department. Neither the Department nor the State are the employer of this group of workers. As the funder of CE schemes, the Department of Social Protection is in ongoing contact with CE supervisors' representatives, including union representatives, on employment-related matters.
On the specific issue on pay, in the past year, the Department received correspondence from Fórsa and SIPTU seeking a pay increase for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors. Fórsa and SIPTU, along with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, subsequently referred this pay claim to the conciliation service of the Workplace Relations Commission. The WRC issued an invitation to the Department to take part in a conciliation process. Following Government approval, the Department responded to the WRC indicating that it will engage with a WRC conciliation process, in its role as funder of these schemes. This conciliation process is now under way, with the first meeting in the WRC held in the past week on Thursday, 2 February. Departmental officials attended and engaged with ICTU, Fórsa and SIPTU representatives to progress the this issue.
As the Deputy will appreciate, while this process is under way I am not in a position to comment further other than to say I am hopeful that an agreed and fair resolution can be reached through this conciliation process.
It should be noted that any increase in CE supervisor pay rates that would increase the overall cost to the State of funding employment schemes must take into consideration the potential cost to the Exchequer, and ultimately the taxpayer. Therefore, the Department will also continue to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform during the WRC process. If there are budgetary implications arising from the WRC process, these will need Government approval.
The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I are fully committed to the CE schemes and recognise the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services and in helping long-term unemployed participants back to work.