Opposition parties in the Dáil have described the Government’s handling of the careworker’s dispute as "inept" and have called for the direct intervention of the Minister for Health to resolve it.
Fine Gael spokeswoman on family affairs Ms Frances Fitzgerald said the Government’s attitude towards the dispute was summed up by the fact that his first contact with the health workers was 15 minutes to midnight last night.
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"While I welcome the actions of SIPTU workers who have deferred their strike action until a full Labour Court hearing is held later this week," Ms Fitzgerald said, "the Minister [Mr Míchael Martin] must take full responsibility for the disgraceful hardship which is he is imposing on so many people today.
"[The dispute] is a direct result of the Government's clumsy mishandling of the affair - which has been so inept that a pay rise was originally offered to both groups . . . and then with
drawn from one of them".
The Labour Party has also called for direct intervention by the Mr Martin, who, it says, is responsible for the strike.
Labour spokeswoman on Equality Ms Jan O’Sullivan said the strike was the result of the Government reneging on an agreement to pay house parents and assistant house parents the pay structure for care workers.
"This is the crux of the issue and the Minister has clearly gone back on his work," Ms O’ Sullivan said. "Intellectually disabled people and their families . . . are suffering in a situation that could have been avoided.
"It is absolutely clear that Minister Martin has to act to end this dispute," she said.