John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Dara Calleary for introducing the motion. More importantly, I acknowledge the work carried out by the employees of section 39 organisations. Without their work, the lives of many people who depend on them would be adversely affected. It is important to remember this in the light of potential industrial action.

I am disappointed with the response of the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, who stated section 39 organisation workers were not public servants and, therefore, not covered by the public service stability agreements. He said that point was crucial. Last year the director general of the HSE, Mr. Tony O'Brien, made a very similar point when addressing the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, said section 39 organisations were not obliged to pass on any pay reduction to their staff members. That is simply not accurate or true. If the Minister of State believes that, no wonder we cannot go about resolving the issue.

Around the time the Rehab group had a number of issues, at the request of the Minister for Health, the HSE wrote to the CEOs of al section 39 agencies outlining health sector pay policy and requesting each of them to have due regard to it, particularly in the case of senior management. On 7 October 2013 a letter was written by the HSE to a particular organisation which referred specifically to section 39 agencies. It stated that while the immediate focus on the implementation of the Haddington Road agreement within the health service had centred on public bodies and public servants, that is, the HSE and section 38 bodies, the clear intention was that all agencies, including section 39 agencies, were to make an appropriate and proportionate contribution to the implementation of payroll and related cost-reduction measures in line with other publicly funded bodies. The intention was very clear. There was a very direct link. As staff in other organisations are receiving pay restoration, the employees of section 39 organisations have every entitlement to receive an increase and in a timely fashion.

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