Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I will share time with my colleague.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, although I hoped the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, would take this Commencement matter. I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State; it is just that I have more time for him than I do for the Minister.

The Government is denying pay increases to support staff in the healthcare sector who, as the Minister of State is aware, will be taking strike action on Thursday in 40 hospitals and care centres across the country. The staff include healthcare assistants, maternity care assistants, laboratory aides, surgical instrument technicians, catering staff, porters and maintenance workers, some of whom I have just met. Their salaries start at €24,500, or €28,000 for a healthcare assistant. The figure of €24,500 is approximately 14% of the salary of the Minister for Health.

The strike promises to be very disruptive. It has been caused directly by the Government's inability or unwillingness to keep its promises. In 2015 job evaluation for support staff was reintroduced under the terms of the public service stability agreement, PSSA, having been suspended at the height of the economic crisis in 2009. It was signed off on by the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform, as well as by the HSE. My union, SIPTU, has honoured the terms of the PSSA in full and its members voted to accept the first Lansdowne Road agreement on the basis that job evaluation would be reintroduced. According to the Government, the recession is over. In spite of this, wages have not been restored in line with recommendations.

In the spring of 2016 SIPTU balloted support staff on strike action as the HSE was prohibited by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform from implementing phases 1 and 2 of the job evaluation exercise. In the spring of 2017 the Workplace Relations Commission intervened and brokered an agreement which set out dates for phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the job evaluation exercise to be completed. The Minister of State will be aware that all deadlines in the Workplace Relations Commission agreement have been missed. Phases 1 and 2 of the job evaluation exercise were completed in August last year. Some 6,000 members in support grades represented by SIPTU were deemed to be entitled to upgrading in line with the agreement. In fairness, the HSE and the Department of Health accepted the outcome of the evaluations and applied for the €16.2 million - a paltry figure in the context of the overall health budget - needed for the pay increases. The application was declined and no budgetary provision was made.

Following meetings with the Departments and the HSE, SIPTU support staff grade workers voted to take action. The Workplace Relations Commission intervened and all parties met several times, including yesterday, with no resolution in sight. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has confirmed that what is owed to SIPTU members will not be paid until at least 2021, possibly under a new public service stability agreement. The presumption and arrogance of the Department of Health in aligning with that position are unbelievable and completely unacceptable. Not only is payment due now, it should have been made two years ago.

What is the point of an agreement if one side - the Government side - cannot be trusted to uphold its promises? The behaviour of the Government has been interpreted by the workers, some of whom I have just met, as disrespectful and dismissive, to put it mildly. They are furious. They believe their jobs are of no value in the eyes of the Government. That view has been reinforced by the lack of a ministerial intervention in the dispute which is heading for a very disruptive strike on Thursday. It will be the first of many such strikes. The Minister of State is responsible for the welfare of the workers and the upholding of their rights. How does he defend the deceitful actions of the Government?

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to address this matter. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris.

I raised this issue with the Government this morning and had discussions with Paul Bell of SIPTU at the weekend. The background to the dispute is that on 5 June SIPTU announced that up to 10,000 of its members working in 38 hospitals and healthcare facilities would engage in industrial action for 24 hours on Thursday, 20 June.SIPTU has advised the HSE of a further five dates of proposed action to take place on 25 and 26 June, as well as 2, 3 and 4 July. I genuinely hope we can avoid that. The grades to engage in this action include healthcare assistants, maternity care assistants, porters, laboratory aides, surgical instrument staff and cleaners. The HSE has advised local management in the healthcare providers concerned to engage in contingency planning on the basis of emergency cover arrangements.

The background to the dispute goes back to the talks that took place under the Lansdowne Road agreement. At the time, a chairman's note was agreed by all parties on the introduction of a job evaluation scheme in the health sector. This scheme had previously been in place but was discontinued in 2008. SIPTU sought the introduction of the job evaluation scheme for the support grades along the same principles that operated in 2008. On this basis, discussions commenced in 2016 between the HSE and the relevant unions, namely, SIPTU and IMPACT, which is now Fórsa, in respect of the establishment of the schemes. Successful engagement with Fórsa led to the approval of a job evaluation scheme for the clerical and administrative grades in August 2016. However, as agreement on a scheme for the support staff grades could not be reached, that issue was referred to the Lansdowne Road agreement oversight body in early 2017. The chairperson of the body issued a recommendation stating that the parties should proceed with the scheme as planned but that the question of its implementation would be considered at the conclusion of the exercise. The Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, agreement provided that the scheme was to be carried out in four phases. Phases 1 and 2 included support staff in the laboratories and the theatres. The larger categories of support staff grades, the healthcare assistants and the multi-task attendants were also included. In October 2018, a report was produced setting out the results of phase 1 and phase 2 of the exercise. The report recommended that a significant proportion of those grades evaluated should move to a higher pay band. While the WRC agreement states that any payments arising as a result of the exercise would apply no earlier than the completion of phases 1 and 2 of the exercise, there is no agreement at this stage on the implementation of the result of the exercise.

In a separate issue, the chefs are engaging in industrial action over a claim to have their roles and pay scales aligned with those of the craft worker grade. No commitment was given to this particular claim. Senators will be aware that the Workplace Relations Commission invited the parties to talks that took place last Thursday and resumed yesterday. These talks ended without agreement. While it is clear that all parties are committed to reaching a resolution to avoid this strike action, it is regrettable that this has not been possible at this point. The position is that we will continue to utilise the State dispute resolutions machinery to maximum effect. I will do anything in my power to assist that development.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I realise the Minister of State did not write the reply. I know it is a scripted response from a civil servant. It is highly cynical. The HSE accepts the job evaluation exercise but does not accept that it has to implement it. That is the height of hypocrisy from the civil servant who wrote that line.

I want to finish by saying one thing. The Government will not avoid industrial action unless there is a political intervention. The industrial relations process has been completed and the awards were made. The HSE applied for the money and was turned down by the Government. What we need is political action. Without it, the Government is heading into a public relations disaster. If the Minister of State thinks the nurses dispute was bad for his Government, he should wait until this kicks off because there are far greater numbers of support staff. They are going on strike. They are absolutely furious. We are talking about the lowest-paid workers in the health service. The attitude of the Government is absolutely appalling. The message is ringing out clearly now that those in the Government have no idea how these people live, struggle and work against all the obstacles in the health service in the midst of the crises there every day. People are furious. This will not be solved by the industrial relations machinery. It will be solved by a political decision by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to fund the increases awarded under the public service stability agreement and the associated process. The Minister of State must honour the agreement.

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The Minister for Health wants to see the strike action averted, if at all possible. Of course, I accept the concerns raised by the Senator about terms, pay and conditions. The salary rates are €24,500 and €28,000. There is no disputing that element of the debate. The Minister has asked both sides to redouble their efforts to avoid the disruption of health services. The industrial relations machinery should be used. The Minister acknowledges the vital role played by the support staff and the HSE is continuing to prepare plans in the event that strike action is taken. I will do everything in my power as Minister of State to avert the strike. At the Cabinet table this morning I raised the point made by the Senator in this debate. Everybody is aware of my personal position and I will continue to push that agenda. I hope we can avoid a strike on Thursday.