Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 238 of 5 February 2019, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that staff delivering the ETB (details supplied) courses have not received incremental increases in wages since 2008 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13717/19]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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Staff delivering the training courses that the deputy refers to are employed under the Local Training Initiative programme (LTI). As previously mentioned, this programme is a project-based training and work experience programme carried out in the local community run by local community groups and associations. Staff delivering courses are typically employed by the relevant community group or association.

On 21 March 2002, the Labour Court recommended that LTI Community Training Supervisors should receive an increase in pay and that the total grant paid by FÁS to project sponsors for supervisor pay should be increased by 20%. Sponsors were to be advised that the total increased grant, less employers PRSI, should be paid to supervisors. This was implemented by FÁS.

The recommendation also stated that for future pay increases, the supervisors should have a pay relationship with and be ‘linked proportionally’ to Community Training Centre (CTC) Managers. Any benefit to the claimants arising from the pay relationship should be paid in accordance with the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, which was in place at the time. Since then, LTI Community Training Supervisors have received increases under national agreements, in line with CTC Managers.

The increases to salary from the implementation of the Public Service Stability Agreement provided for the restoration of pay which was reduced as a result of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts (FEMPI). CTC Managers, and consequently LTI Supervisors, are not covered by the Public Service Stability Agreement as they are not public servants and did not have their pay reduced under FEMPI.