Community services in Limerick at risk as CE strike looms

DOZENS of Community Employment (CE) schemes throughout the city and county will be affected if a five-day national strike by CE supervisors and assistant supervisors goes ahead next month.

Meals on Wheels, Enable Ireland, Brothers of Charity, Tidy Towns groups, Voluntary Housing, GAA and Soccer clubs are among some key community services all likely to be affected if  Limerick’s 50 or so supervisors and assistant supervisors go out on strike on May 13 along with their. colleagues around the country

At issue is a long-running failure by successive governments to establish a proper pension scheme for them.

The campaign for a pension scheme has been ongoing since 2002, supervisor in the Rathkeale scheme Mike Hunt explained this Wednesday, just 24 hours after he and other Limerick colleagues had taken part in a press conference and rally in Dublin announcing the strike.

Essentially, he told the Limerick Leader, they want the government to implement a Labour Court recommendation from 2008 which stated that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced and adequately funded by the recognised funding agency. The unions involved, Siptu and Fórsa, say the responsibility for this falls upon the Government.

Both Mr Hunt and fellow supervisor in Carrigkerry, Pat King, vehemently reject the argument put forward by government ministers that it, the government, is not the employer.

“Everything is governed by the Department of Social Protection, the money, the training, who can be taken on,” Mr King said. Besides, they point out, it is utterly unrealistic to expect the voluntary groups which sponsor the schemes on the ground to be in a position to pay out pensions.

Since the dispute first started, some 250 supervisors and assistant supervisors have retired without any pension, many having given long years of service. And unless something changes, Mr Hunt who has 25 years service and Mr King with 21, will face the same harsh reality.

“It shows a lack of respect for the jobs we do,” Mr King said.

The decision to go on a five-day strike in May was taken after a one-day strike in February failed to bring government ministers to a round-table meeting with the unions.

“Our members have taken the difficult decision to engage in five consecutive days of industrial action in May. They are doing so because all other options have been exhausted,” SIPTU sector organiser, Eddie Mullins, said this Tuesday at the rally at Leinster House.

“This action will inevitably disrupt the wide range of community services delivered locally by community employment schemes around the country. The only way this can be averted is for the Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to agree to meet us to discuss the implementation of the 2008 Labour Court recommendation,” he said.

 As part of its campaign union members have now begun  lobbying local and European election candidates ahead of elections in May. This Wednesday, Mr Hunt said: “We are calling on Minister Patrick O’Donovan and Deputy Tom Neville to insist that Minister Donohue and Minister Regina Doherty meet with the unions and recognise the Labour Court recommendation,” Mr Hunt said. “It is gone on too long.”