Community and voluntary sector strike called off following positive talks

A strike that was due to take place today by health and social workers in the community and voluntary sector, has been called off.

An agreement on pay, which included an 8 per cent increase from the Government in funding, was decided in the early hours of this morning following talks between unions INMO, Siptu, and Fórsa and Government representatives at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

The increase is expected to come in three phases backdated to April 2023 and will run until March 2024.

A 5 per cent off was previously rejected by unions and reengagement between parties is set to take place in December.

A new method established to deal with the question of restoring the link between workers in the voluntary sector and the community with equivalent pay grades in the HSE was also part of the agreement.

Following extensive talks with Government today’s strike action in S39 orgs has been suspended.

Members will be briefed on proposals today with a ballot to follow.

Thank you to all our members for their efforts to date. #JoinAUnion #SaveOurServices @irishcongress https://t.co/x3OJACg9S0

— Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) October 17, 2023

If today's strike went ahead, 5,000 workers across 17 charities and organisations including Enable Ireland and DePaul would have been involved.

Following the talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Industrial Officer with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Liam Berney, said they would be recommending acceptance of the proposals put forward.

"After a long number of hours and intensive negotiations we have a set of proposals from the WRC that we will now be consulting members on over the next couple of weeks.

There is an offer on pay and there is a method for dealing with the question of restoring people's pay to the point it should be at, equivalent to the pay scales for equivalent grades in the HSE.

We are happy that the proposals that have emerged here will allow us to re-establish that link and put members back on the points of the pay scale that they should have been on the for the last few years," Mr Berney said.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly welcomed the decision to call off the strike saying he wanted "to thank all of those involved, both the union representatives and those on behalf of Government", adding, "we never wanted to see those services close. They are essential and it's great to see."