John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to address this important issue not only for my constituents but also because of its wider implications for child minding in the State. The Minister of State may be aware of an ongoing dispute between Childminding Ireland and four IMPACT trade union members in my constituency of Wicklow. Unfortunately, the situation has escalated since I submitted this Topical Issue matter.

The four members have been on strike since 7 June 2016 but things have moved on slightly since I tabled this matter. Negotiations have commenced between the union and Childminding Ireland but there are some issues that still need to be raised here. The dispute arose because compulsory redundancies were notified to staff without prior consultation between Childminding Ireland and the IMPACT members in questions despite the fact that Childminding Ireland is not experiencing any financial difficulties and has produced no business case to justify these losses. The reason given by Childminding Ireland for these compulsory redundancies is that they are part of restructuring going on within the organisation. It is unclear to the staff involved why these redundancies are necessary under the restructuring. The Minister of State might have an update on the matter.

Four IMPACT trade union members have been on strike since 7 June at Childminding Ireland headquarters in Kilcoole in County Wicklow. Last week, those IMPACT members handed a letter to the Minister, Deputy Katherine Zappone, in her office in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs asking her to get involved because substantial State funding goes to Childminding Ireland. Some €360,000 is administered through Pobal to the organisation. The IMPACT trade union members asked the Minister to get involved to encourage Childminding Ireland to address the issue through the recognised structure - the Workplace Relations Commission. While Childminding Ireland has entered into talks with IMPACT members in recent days, a conclusion has yet to be reached. I welcome the talks between the IMPACT members and Childminding Ireland through the WRC and I hope there will be a successful conclusion.

Does the Minister of State have some answers to my questions? Will he clarify if the Minister, Deputy Zappone, used her office to put pressure on Childminding Ireland to engage in the recognised structure - the WRC - which is where this dispute should have been dealt with in the first place? Will the Minister of State clarify if the Minister, Deputy Zappone, had any contact with IMPACT? Why was this allowed to continue from when the staff first went on strike on 7 June until last Friday, 24 June, when negotiations commenced? Three weeks went by before Childminding Ireland began to engage with the relevant bodies. Will the Minister of State clarify the reason for this?

See this speech in context