SIPTU members working as Health Care Assistants (HCAs) in the HSE Home Support Service across Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick have voted overwhelmingly for strike action
This is in relation to a dispute which they say arises from their employer’s failure to honour national agreements on terms and conditions.
The ballot, counted today at Liberty Hall, Dublin, delivered a 95% mandate for industrial action, up to and including strike action.
SIPTU Organiser, Ciaran Sheridan, said that “the failure of the HSE to honour agreed improvements in HCAs’ terms and conditions has negatively impacted services, to the detriment of workers and the clients they care for.”
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(Release in Full)
SIPTU HSE Home Support HCAs vote overwhelmingly for strike action in Donegal
SIPTU members working as Health Care Assistants (HCAs) in the HSE Home Support Service across Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in a dispute arising from their employer’s failure to honour national agreements on terms and conditions.
The ballot, counted today at Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, delivered a 95% mandate for industrial action, up to and including strike action.
SIPTU Organiser, Ciaran Sheridan, said: “Our members have endured unacceptable working conditions for far too long. Enough is enough. The failure of the HSE to honour agreed improvements in HCAs’ terms and conditions has negatively impacted services, to the detriment of workers and the clients they care for.
“The SIPTU HSE Home Support strike committee will meet shortly to set dates for industrial action. We are calling on the HSE to do the right thing and honour its commitments in order to avert strike action in these essential services.”
He added: “The issues which remain unresolved include underpayments dating back to 2018 and the non-implementation of rostering agreements. There are also ongoing breaches of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, resulting in worker burnout due to excessive split shifts and inadequate breaks.
“The dispute also concerns the continued use of contractors, which we believe is inconsistent with the HSE’s commitments under the Public Service Agreement and previous Workplace Relations Commission agreements.”
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Liz Cloherty, said: “Years of broken promises concerning multiple Workplace Relations Commission agreements have brought us to this point. These workers provide essential care in our communities. They deserve far better, and they intend to secure the terms and conditions which their employer has committed to.”
