Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
193. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if she will meet with striking workers from an organisation (details supplied); her views on their status as section 39 workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28488/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to acknowledge the very important role that Health Care Assistants play in delivering home care services to older persons and persons with disabilities in our communities. It is disappointing that Health Care Assistants employed by Northside Home Care Services felt that they needed to take industrial action
I understand this dispute relates to terms and conditions which differ from those that staff in section 39, grant funded, organisations are benefitting from because of the WRC agreement reached between ICTU and relevant Government Departments in March last year.
Northside Home Care Services are primarily funded through a separate tender arrangement for home care and, as such, are not encompassed within this agreement. It is important to note that Northside Home Care is not a public body. Terms and conditions are set by the organisations themselves. The terms and conditions of employment of their staff, once in line with employment legislation, is strictly between the employer and the employee.
I understand that the organisation is in receipt of a separate, smaller amount of grant funding under Section 39, in relation to a meals-on-wheels service they provide and workers within this service may be eligible. The HSE have engaged with Northside Home Care Services in recent weeks in relation to the process for claiming an uplift in pay funding in respect of the section 39 funding that they do receive for the meals-on-wheels service they provide.
I appreciate that workers and organisations not encompassed by the WRC Agreement may be disappointed. However, the agreement reached applies only those aforementioned, grant-funded organisations.
The maintenance of industrial peace is vital to safeguarding patient safety and ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of essential services, and I would strongly encourage the employer and its employees to engage with the State’s established industrial relations machinery to work towards a resolution.
