Over the next three days, thousands of SIPTU members working in the community and disability services and section 39 organisations will be taking targeted strike action in counties Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Galway and Donegal. While many public servants are balloting over the Building Momentum agreement, section 39 and community workers remain outside any formal pay negotiation mechanism and have not seen any restoration or, indeed, increase in their pay in nearly 14 years. What will the Government do finally, if anything, for these workers in order to ensure they stay in this sector providing services for the most vulnerable in our society? These organisations are losing workers to the HSE and to people and organisations outside the sector. We are facing an absolute crisis in the sector heading into this winter and into 2023.

Every effort should be made through the normal industrial machinery mechanisms in this State to resolve this issue. The HSE believes this industrial action will significantly impact on the children’s disability network teams and other multidisciplinary services, potentially leading to appointments having to be rescheduled and so on.

I acknowledge the important role that section 39 workers and organisations play in our health and disability services. They have a key role to play in providing services to people, both those with disabilities and older people. As the Deputy is aware, it is a complex area, with about 2,240 organisations under section 39 across the country employing about 100,000 staff. In our view, it is just like previous occasions in that when issues arose they were resolved between union and employer negotiations involving the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and others.