Section 39 workers accept pay proposal, paving way for end to years-long dispute

Irish Times

01-05-2025

A pay proposal intended to end the long-running dispute involving as claim by tens of thousands of health and social care workers employed by voluntary organisations across the State has been accepted by members of the unions involved.
The deal, worth 9.25 per cent over two years, starting last October, was backed by 87 per cent of
Siptu
members and 86 per cent of those in
Fórsa
. The result of a ballot by a smaller number of workers attached to the the
Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation
was not finalised on Thursday afternoon but they too were expected to accept the terms on offer.
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'I could be beside someone doing the same work for more money.' The plight of section 39 workers
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Under the agreement, the care workers, administrators and therapists, many employed by well-known organisations such as the Irish Wheelchair Association, Rehab and Enable Ireland paid to provide services on behalf of the
Health Service Executive
and a number of government departments, will receive a pay increase of 2.25 per cent backdated to October along with 1 per cent from the start of last month.
Further increases of 2 per cent in November of this year as well April 1st and October 1st of 2026 will follow.
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The two main unions involved said they would work with funding departments and employers to ensure the increases are implemented as quickly as possible.
'While the terms acknowledge that pay for some in the sector has fallen behind public-sector levels and allows for future increases in public pay agreements to be applied to the community and voluntary sector, we need to see the funding bodies move quickly to ensure our members receive these pay improvements as they fall due,' said Fórsa's head of health and welfare, Ashley Connolly.
The staff involved working in the health sector are often referred to as Section 39 workers, a reference to the piece of legislation under which the HSE pays the organisations involved for the provisions of services. Other workers covered by the deal are employed in areas such as housing and family services.
Their dispute briefly attracted a lot of attention during the general election campaign after an encounter between Simon Harris and S39 worker Charlotte Fallon.