Rose Conway-Walsh demands action as Section 39 strike ballot looms
Rose Conway-Walsh pressed the government over pay and a looming CIP2 strike ballot affecting Section 39 workers, urging direct engagement with unions to avert industrial action. She criticised the lack of progress since last year's Workplace Relations Commission pay agreement and questioned whether the government's commitments had been honoured.
Strike ballot and scale
CIP2 is due to begin a ballot for strike action of up to 5,000 members working across 21 Section 39 organisations, a point raised by Rose Conway-Walsh in the debate.
Previous pay agreement and ministerial engagement
She said she raised the matter with the former minister last October, a year on from the pay agreement being reached at the Workplace Relations Commission, and told the chamber that nothing tangible had happened in the meantime.
Election spotlight on Section 39 workers
Rose Conway-Walsh said the treatment of Section 39 workers took central stage during the election campaign after a challenger raised the issue, and she questioned whether earlier government promises to prioritise the matter were hollow.
Government response and funding proposals
The government responded that its programme commits to working with the voluntary sector through industrial relations mechanisms and noted an interim agreement in October 2023. It said state agencies have worked with service providers to administer associated pay funding adjustments and that departments offered a further 8.5% increase in funding for pay. Combined with the October 2023 measures, the government stated this would represent a 16.5% increase in pay funding over a three and a half year period, and ministers will seek an early opportunity to restart engagement with unions and employers through the Workplace Relations Commission to try to avert strike action.
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The proper government commits to the government to work with the voluntary sector through industrial relation mechanisms and other processes to progress pay issues that affect the delivery of disability services and the long-term viability of organisations within the sector. Yet we know that CIP2 is due to begin a ballot for strike action of up to 5,000 members working across 21 Section 39 organisations. I raised this matter with the former Minister, Ann Rabbit, last October, a year on from the pay agreement being reached at the Workplace Relations Commission and the government's commitment to honour that. But nothing has happened in the meantime. We saw the treatment of Section 39 workers taking central stage during the election campaign thanks to Charlotte Fallon challenging yourself on the matter. At the time you committed to prioritising the issue, were those hollow words, what has been done in the meantime, and will the government engage directly with the unions to urgently avert the strike action? Thank you. Well, they were clearly anything but the way you termed those words, because as you rightly said, when you read the programme for Government Deputy Conway Walsh, you quoted it there, it does commit the Government to working with the sector through the mechanisms that are available to progress the issues. And as I said to your colleague Deputy Coran when she raised this matter just moments ago, we have obviously seen the interim agreement in October 2023. We have seen state agencies work with service providers to administer the associated pay funding adjustments. The fact is, departments offered a further 8.5% increase in funding for pay. When you couple that with the October 2023 situation, that would have seen funding for pay increase by 16.5% over a three and a half year period. And now Ministers will seek an early opportunity to restart engagement with unions and employers through the Workplace Relations Commission, because I appreciate the vital role that these workers play. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy Deputy You
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