THE IRISH Government has called funding proposals which were agreed yesterday evening ‘unprecedented’, as pay increases were approved for health and social care workers in the community and voluntary sector.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) reached an agreement with unions and Government representatives last night, and unions are set to put the proposals before their members later today.
It is thought that the deal will involve a 9.25% pay increase for around 40,000 workers, which will be backdated to October 2024 and phased with new increases in 2025 and 2026. The workers at the centre of the agreement will now be subject to all future public sector agreements and pay increases.
The Government said that the deal should be viewed in good faith, since it delivers on part of their Programme for Government commitment to invest an additional €140 million in the community and voluntary sector.
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Norma Foley, said that the proposals were encouraging, adding: “I appreciate the goodwill of everyone who sat around the table to reach this agreement for the dedicated workers who provide invaluable supports and services.”
Liam Berney, Senior Industrial Officer with the union ICTU, said that work would now begin on bringing the agreed-upon proposals to union members.
“We have a set of proposals that were developed this evening during the course of negotiations today and they will now be considered by unions over the coming days,” he said.
The talks come at a crucial time for Irish healthcare workers. Last month, workers who were affected by the recently agreed proposals voted to undertake strike action if their demands were not met.
As such, SIPTU Sector Organiser Damian Ginley told reporters last night: “Ultimately, our members will decide the next course of action in relation to where we go from here.
“We will bring the proposals to our members, we will have consultation meetings with them and depending on the feedback, we will make a decision then on what to do in terms of next steps.”
