CE supervisors to strike next week

Community employment (CE) supervisors are set to begin five days of strike action next week in a row over pension rights.

Fórsa and SIPTU trade union members are finalising arrangements for the five-day industrial action beginning from Monday 13 May.

Supervisors will be holding daily protests at seven locations around the country. Although the Cork locations are as yet unknown, locations confirmed by Fórsa include Intreo and Revenue offices in Galway and Waterford and political constituency offices in Dublin, Donegal, Galway, Cork, Portlaoise and Limerick.

Unions say the 1,250 staff concerned have no access to any occupational pension scheme, despite a 2008 Labour Court recommendation in their favour.

The Labour Court said an agreed pension scheme should be introduced and adequately funded by the recognised funding agency. Unions have said this responsibility falls upon the Government.

A one-day strike by CE supervisors and assistant supervisors took place in February over the issue, with unions saying the action can be averted if Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe agrees to meet to discuss the implementation of the Labour Court recommendation.

“We’ll be arranging protests in these locations on each day of strike action, and we’ll be taking the opportunity to canvas the public to support our campaign of action in the run up to the local and European elections on 24 May,” Fórsa official Brendan O’Hanlon said.

Unions met Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty last Thursday, a meeting that was initially arranged to discuss the union’s concerns over non-compliance with an enhanced redundancy agreement for CE supervisors. The meeting, however, did include some discussion about pensions, the issue behind the planned industrial action.

Union officials described the meeting as “constructive” and confirmed the strike action scheduled to take place from next Monday would proceed.