SIPTU members employed in the Citizens Information Service have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in a dispute over pay in a ballot counted this morning in Liberty Hall, Dublin.
SIPTU Deputy General Secretary, John King, said: “Members were left with no alternative but to ballot for strike action in furtherance of their pay dispute due to a failure by the employer and the Department of Social Protection to respect a Labour Court recommendation on a pay increase for staff.
“Citizens Information Service staff provide a vital in-person service informing people of their rights and advocating on their behalf across the country. It is a service which our members are very committed to providing and will greatly regret being forced to suspend it for an indefinite period. The strike will occur during what should be a busy period for the service as it advises people concerning the impact of Budget 2025 on their finances. However, our members have been left with no option as a Labour Court recommendation has stated their claim is for a fair and just pay rise but there has been a complete refusal from the employer side to honour it.”
He added: “Yet again we have a situation where a Government Department, in this case the Department of Social Protection, is attempting to shirk its responsibility to hundreds of workers who provide a vital public service on behalf of the State. There is an attempt to explain away this failure to respect these workers through a hall of mirrors trick in which the funding Government Department claims not to have an employer relationship with staff due to the monies flowing through supposedly independent companies before making it to them.”
SIPTU Community Sector Organiser, Brendan Carr, said: “Regrettably, on the 7th October our members will commence official strike action as a result of the failure of this employer to respect and implement a Labour Court Recommendation. The situation our members find themselves in is an intolerable one but unfortunately not a unique one. Throughout the Community Sector workers will no longer be treated as second-class citizens and have their commitment to the services they provide used against them due to a reluctance to take action which could impact clients.
“Rather, these workers, as with their colleagues in the National Advocacy Service earlier this year, are showing a willingness to stand up to protect their rights and the future of the vital services they provide. Approximately 300 workers operating nearly 50 offices across the country will take part in the strike action. The action will be indefinite in duration and result in the full closure of this vital service until action is taken to respect the Labour Court recommendation that was secured in June this year.”