Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
592. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health if he has signed off on a WRC deal to increase the pay of care assistant workers in section 38 and section 39 organisations; if he will outline the terms of that deal and the progress made in issuing payments; whether further discussions regard a claim for parity with those directly employed is progressing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21479/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is not aware of a S38 Care Assistant case in the WRC.
Following many months of extensive negotiations in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), an agreement was reached in October 2023 which saw an increase in funding for pay of staff in Section 39 organisations. An overall increase of 8% was agreed phased with an initial increase of 3% backdated to April 2023, a 2% increase from 1 November 2023 and a further increase to be implemented on 1 March 2024.
The HSE has already made significant payments on account to qualifying organisations to begin to address the amounts due to staff under the Section 39 Employee WRC agreement. In recent weeks the HSE has issued templates to over 1,130 Section 39 funded organisations to allow them to claim the full amounts of funding due to their employees. To date, 165 organisations have replied and these are now being processed.
The HSE has also written again to all Section 39 funded organisations requesting that they submit their claims without delay and offering support to organisations who have queries in relation to the process.
The objective of the HSE is to make all due payments without delay so that employees can access their entitlements under the WRC agreement.
While Government has engaged in this process and an agreement has been reached, it is worth noting that Section 39 organisations are not public bodies, and the terms and conditions of employment for staff in these organisations are ultimately between the employer and the employee. Although we are not the employers, the Department is aware that staff employed across the hundreds of funded organisations have been employed using a multiplicity of terms and conditions, including different rates of remuneration and are dependent on Government for funding.
