Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

This is a very important issue. It is about treating workers in a humanitarian way. We have a huge number of healthcare assistants, mainly working in private nursing homes, who the State brought here on special work permits because it could not find the labour in this country. These people are mainly women and mainly nurses. They are fully qualified nurses who work, if you like, below the level of their qualifications. We are getting added value from them. They work here as healthcare assistants to make a better life for their families. Most are from India, mainly the Kerala region, as well as from the Philippines and other countries.

These workers have been here for three years. They are completely separated from their families. Think about it: these women who do not see their children for years. They have to try to communicate with them via Zoom, which, as anyone who has ever tried to have a Zoom call with children knows, is practically impossible, and particularly with different time zones.

These people do essential work in this country. Care of the elderly will be a huge issue with our ageing population. The State has decided to privatise this type of care in the main. Many of the nursing homes are highly profitable. In many cases, they are operated by large multinational companies. However, the workers are kept on wages that prevent them from taking part in family reunification. My request is that we recognise that we need these workers and that they have a right to be treated humanely. Just imagine: we are forcibly separating them from their families while they are looking after our families. That is not the kind of care system I want. I do not want someone looking after my older relatives who is miserable and cannot enjoy being with their children and who is separated from their spouse as well.

The Minister looked as though he was sorting this matter out during the term of previous Dáil. Then what was proposed was suddenly withdrawn. I am of the view that this was the result of pressure from private nursing homes about income limits. What we are asking for is to leave the private nursing homes out of it and that every worker who is resident in this country and who is working here should have the right to apply for family reunification without having to deal with all the barriers that are put in the way. For example, a worker must be earning €34,000 under the scheme now, but the minimum salary has been €30,000 for new recruits. It is even lower for previous recruits, so they are kept deliberately under that level. Somebody would need a minimum household net income of €36,660 to bring one child over. It is €41,912 for two children. In excess of €47,000 is needed to bring three children here. There are also higher thresholds. We are separating families, even though we know these workers will be here for the long term.

There are two categories. Category A comprises critical skills workers, which includes religious ministers and postgraduate students who do not have to adhere to any of those thresholds and who can apply for family reunification. Category B comprises the workers to whom I refer. They are essential workers. They have critical skills. We are asking that the Minister for Justice abolish the categories in question in order that any workers who are resident here may bring their spouses, most of whom are heath workers who could help to meet the need for staff in the health service, to live with them.

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