Both unions in the childcare dispute have welcomed a Labour Court recommendation urging them to re-enter talks with management on pay and professional issues. Last week IMPACT, the main union representing house parents working with the intellectually disabled, called a three-day strike at residential centres over delays in pay talks. Some 700 clients were affected.
SIPTU joined IMPACT in deciding to accept the court's proposal to return to the negotiating table on the basis that a similar approach will be taken to a review of members' salaries that led to large increases for childcare staff last April. However, the court stopped short of recommending any specific increases.
In two separate recommendations to cover house parents, mainly represented by IMPACT, and care assistants represented mainly by SIPTU, it said a joint union-management committee should examine the role of staff in the intellectual disability area. Such a review would look at measures to improve the qualifications of staff as well as pay.
House parent grades, involving about 1,200 people, would be looked at first. A review for 4,000 care assistants would follow. IMPACT's national health secretary Mr Kevin Callinan yesterday said his union would propose that the joint committee "back professionalisation" for house parents at its meeting next Thursday.
The Health Service Employers' Agency was withholding comment yesterday, beyond saying it was considering the proposals. SIPTU national industrial secretary, Mr Matt Merrigan, said he welcomed the speed with which the Labour Court had issued its recommendations and added: "The court's recommendation is a major turning point in this dispute."