Close to 5,000 SIPTU members employed in 21 Section 39 organisations have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in relation to a long-running pay and conditions dispute. Section 39 organisations are charities and other private organisations contracted by the State to provide health services.
These workers are paid less than public sector workers doing the same job. The ballot result announced today was 96% of members voted in favour of strike action on a turnout of 70%.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said “Section 39 workers have faced low pay and pay discrimination for many years. Many are paid as little as €13 per hour and two pay cuts imposed on them in the austerity years have never been restored. They have received a pay increase of just €1 in 10 years.”
In 2023 Section 39 workers got an agreement at the WRC for an 8% pay increase and a commitment to restore pay parity with HSE workers doing the same job, but the Government never honoured the agreement.
The failure of successive governments to deliver on pay justice for these workers has left them struggling with low wages, while the organisations they work for face recruitment and retention crises.
The plight of Section 39 workers took centre stage during the general election campaign. In the Dáil today I reminded Simon Harris that during the election, in an encounter that went viral, he treated Section 39 worker Charlotte Fallon with contempt as she tried to explain the issues in their dispute to him.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael then made soothing noises during the election campaign that if reelected, they would do right by Section 39 workers. But nothing has been done and these workers are left with no alternative other than to prepare for industrial action.
The pay link between the public sector and Section 39 organisations must be restored, the pay cuts must be reversed and the Government must stop discriminating against these workers who provide essential disability care, elder care, and home support services. People Before Profit will stand with Section 39 workers until the Government gives them pay justice.