I propose to take Questions Nos. 560, 562, 566 and 570 together.
In August 2019, the union referred to by the Deputy, which represents the managers of the County Childcare Committees (CCC) and the CCC Boards of Management, who are the employers of CCC staff, engaged in a review of CCC managers’ pay. The employers and the union agreed that the CCC manager should be regraded from a salary equivalent to Local Authority Level 6 to a salary equivalent to Local Authority Level 8. A submission on this was subsequently made to my Department and Officials undertook to review it.
The Workplace Relations Commission met with SIPTU and representatives of CCC Boards of Management in 2020 on non-implementation of this agreement, when it was agreed by both parties to further engage with my Department on the matter.
My Department has reviewed the agreement and determined that as CCC staff, including managers, are employed by each CCC Board of Management, their salary scales should be set by each Board of Management.
My Department has concluded that it does not have a role in setting the salaries as the CCC staff are not employed by my Department. My Department has accordingly withdrawn a 2001 letter from the then Department of Justice and Equality which set the salaries of CCC managers as being equivalent to Local Authority Grade 6.
CCC Boards of Management were informed of this decision on 5 May, 2021.