SIPTU members in the Galway Rape Crisis Centre (GRCC) are conducting a 24-hour work stoppage on Wednesday, 6th July, to demand a first pay rise in 14 years and the restoration of pay which was removed from them during the economic crisis. SIPTU Organiser, Clem Shevlin, said: “GRCC staff had cuts made to their wages in line with other workers employed by Section 39 organisations in 2008. In 2015, the GRCC was placed under the remit of Tusla, the child and family agency. This meant it became a so-called Section 56 organisation whose funding is governed by the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, not the Health Act 2004 which applies to Section 39 organisations. “This change in funding stream did not change the workers’ roles but did mean they did not receive pay restoration in line with their colleagues in Section 39 organisations in recent years. “SIPTU representatives have raised this anomaly with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O'Gorman, and other politicians but there has been no action to resolve the issue. “What has particularly angered our members in GRCC is that the final round of pay restoration will be implemented on 1st July. This includes pay rises of between 10% and 15% for judges, hospital consultants and many senior officials who earn well in excess of our members in the GRCC.” He added: “Our members in the GRCC provide vital services to vulnerable people in crisis. They are completely committed to their work and clients but feel they have no option other taking a stand to highlight the injustice of the manner in which their claim for pay restoration has been handled.” The industrial action by SIPTU members in the Galway Rape Crisis Centre is part of the Valuing Community campaign for pay justice for workers in the community sector and Section 39 organisations which is supported by SIPTU, ICTU, Fórsa and the INMO.
Galway Rape Crisis Centre workers to strike on Wednesday to highlight failure on pay
