Mayo TD raises plight of disability and care sector workers in the Dáil

Mayo Aontú TD Paul Lawless has blamed the Government for their 'failure' to address the crisis in the disability and care sectors which has now resulted in the threat of strike action.

SIPTU members employed in a number of Section 39 organisations providing services to those with disabilities, the elderly and other vulnerable groups have voted overwhelmingly by 96 percent to 4 percent for strike action in order to force a resolution to a long-running pay dispute.

The Knock-based TD raised the matter in the Dáil where he criticised the Government for failing to address the concerns of the workers in the disability and care sector.

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“We cannot claim to prioritise the needs of vulnerable people unless we can address these core issues relating to the disability sector,” stated Deputy Paul Lawless.

“The core and fundamental issue is recruitment and retention. The CEO of the Disability Federation of Ireland stated that this issue is having a catastrophic impact. The reason that it is having such an impact and that there are so many difficulties is because two-thirds of disability services are delivered by the voluntary sector. This Government has utterly failed the voluntary sector.

“It is interesting that commitments were made in the lead-up to the election but that these do not appear in the programme for Government,” he noted.

“All the people in these organisations are seeking equal pay for equal work. There is not a Minister in this Chamber who would accept an inferior pay scale for delivering the same work of his or her counterpart. The Government would not accept these terms for themselves but see no issue in foisting them upon the caregivers in our community.”

Deputy Lawless warned that the Government’s continued neglect has now led directly to industrial action—a crisis that could have been entirely avoided had the Government upheld its commitments.

“I will make a plea to the Minister of State on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people who work in the voluntary sector. These people want to continue to deliver these services but they are finding it incredibly difficult. Nobody in the care sector wants to resort to strike action but it’s necessary when the Government refuses to honour their pre-election promises.”

With the strike vote now confirmed, Deputy Lawless is demanding immediate intervention from the Government to prevent essential services from collapsing.

“I ask the Minister to do what’s right and give those who care for the most vulnerable people the respect, recognition, and pay they deserve,” he concluded.