SIPTU, the Union for Care Workers, has said that collective bargaining rights in the care sector will be essential to addressing low pay and recruitment issues with in-home support services.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Sharon Cregan said: “On 19th June, IBEC representatives presented the findings of their report Better Care, Better Business to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. While the report acknowledges that care work is often invisible and, as a result, undervalued, it does not recommend any specific policy initiative for making working in the sector more attractive.
“It highlights the proliferation of low pay, uncertainty over hours and high turnover of staff in the sector, yet it is silent on the mechanisms that could address these issues to the benefit of the users of these services and the workers who provide vital care.”
There were tense exchanges at the Oireachtas Committee, in which the witnesses were questioned on the average hourly pay for a carer working in the private sector. The witnesses acknowledged that the average hourly rate was around €13.10 per hour. However, they did not accept that the lack of collective bargaining rights for workers in these services could be contributing to low pay and a high turnover of staff.”
Cregan added: “The issue of collective bargaining is the elephant in the room. It is a well-known fact that workers who are represented by unions receive more in terms of pay and benefits. Their jobs are more secure. SIPTU is endeavouring to represent workers across the public, private and voluntary home care sectors to ensure workers in this sector have decent working conditions. It is important not just for the workers themselves but vital to ensure a decent service for vulnerable clients.
“The debate in this Oireachtas Committee hearing has demonstrated one thing; workers cannot afford to wait to have a decent standard of living delivered to them from employer groups and the Government. They must take the future into their own hands and fight for a better tomorrow by joining SIPTU and becoming active in their union.”