SIPTU has called for immediate action from the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, concerning the operation of Bray Home Care Services following a decision by the company to issue staff with a 30-day protective notice of redundancy. SIPTU Health Organiser, John Hubbard, said: “Bray Home Care Services currently employs 54 staff and assists 267 clients. They have been providing care services for vulnerable people for nearly 40 years so this news is deeply troubling for the entire community. “The first issue that must be dealt with by the HSE and the Minister for Health is to move rapidly to reassure those directly affected that their futures will be secure, in terms of services and employment. “This situation brings into sharp focus the wider issues of what competitive tendering and the associated race to the bottom in service provision is doing to our care services. It is leaving workers in precarious situations where they are unable to plan for their futures and leaving vulnerable clients in fear for their services and feeling a deep sense of insecurity. This is exactly the opposite of what we need from our home care system.” He added: “SIPTU representatives are demanding immediate action by Simon Harris and the HSE to bring this unacceptable situation to an end. There must be no delay in the HSE stepping in and directly administering these care services and securing our members employment. It is unacceptable that funding issues are being placed before the care of the elderly in their homes. “This is further evidence of the failure of the Government and the HSE to restore cuts that were made to the service in the recession years and to properly fund Section 39 organisations.”
SIPTU calls for action to safeguard the operations of Bray Home Care Services
