Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I have been a trade unionist from the very first day I went to work, which was summer work in Clonmel Foods in Clonmel. I joined the Irish Transport and General Workers Union as it was then. I then moved to work in Bulmers where I became a member of the Federation of Rural Workers. Following that, I moved to a leather factory where I became a member of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union, now Unite. Since then I have been a member of the Irish Local Government Officials' Union, which became the Local Government and Public Services Union, which then became IMPACT and in recent weeks Fórsa. I have also been president of Clonmel Trades and Labour Council.

I support the workers in the section 39 organisations who are faced with having to withdraw their labour on 14 February because the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform simply will not face up to their responsibilities and pay them the correct rates of pay and ensure pay restoration for them. I hope they are not forced onto the streets by the Government and by the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, who as another speaker said, would be singing a very different tune if he were on this side of the House.

There is no doubt the work being done by the section 39 organisations extends right across the country and is essential for all kinds of work in the health and community areas. I support the motion, especially the amendment tabled by Solidarity-PBP. It is worth referring to what the motion outlines. The amendment calls on the Government to address the anomalies and reimburse the FEMPI cuts as was expected; to recognise that both the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Health need to take responsibility for this issue, primarily in order to prevent services being cut as a result of their ongoing inertia; to cease passing the buck between Departments and prevent cuts being applied to services in order to allow staff to have their FEMPI cuts restored; to undertake a detailed analysis and commit to a process to reimburse the section 39 employees who have been paid public service rates and who had the FEMPI cuts applied to them; to fully implement the finance reform programme in the HSE so that section 39 and section 38 organisations can be easily identified; and to integrate all section 39 workers fully into the public sector and bestow upon them the same rights and entitlements, including pension rights, as their public service comparators.

There is a lot in the amendment but it is essential that what is sought would be done from the point of view of fairness to the employees, the organisations involved and the services they provide. If the Department refuses to come up with the money, there is a strong possibility that services being provided by the organisations will be badly affected and there will be a knock-on effect on service users. This is a very black and white situation. The workers in question have been always paid the same rate as public service employees. They took the cuts when public service employees took the cuts. They were told they simply had no choice but to do that. However, now they are being told that although they took the cuts they will not get the restoration. That is simply not good enough. The situation must change. The workers in question must be supported. I commend Paul Bell, the official responsible for dealing with the matter, who sent us some information.

Numerous organisations have been mentioned that would be affected by the situation. I wish to refer briefly to an organisation with which I have been involved from the day of its foundation, namely, Cuan Saor or Safe Haven, a women's refuge. It is a section 39 organisation that was established in 1994. I have been involved with it since then and I am currently a member of the board and have been for many years. The organisation provides a range of services for women affected by domestic violence. Information, advice and refuge are provided. Accommodation is also provided as a building was sourced in 2000 and the refuge currently has four units available for women and children who are in difficulty. There is also a 24-hour helpline. Support and information is provided on a drop-in basis and by appointment. Counselling is also provided. Outreach services are provided in all the towns throughout south Tipperary, in Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary town, Killenaule and Ballingarry. A very important court accompaniment service is also provided by staff of Cuan Saor. This domestic violence support organisation that is based in Clonmel and which covers all of south Tipperary also provides an aftercare service, in addition to training and awareness raising and child and family support. That is the type of organisation whose staff is affected by the refusal of the Department to ensure pay restoration. It is unacceptable that the services of such organisations, including hospice groups and many others, would be affected. I support the motion, in particular the Solidarity-PBP amendment, and call on the Government to deal with this matter urgently and to agree to the pay restoration for staff in the section 39 organisations. Otherwise, there will be very serious difficulties for the organisations, their staff and the services they provide.

See this speech in context