Tipperary people with disabilities fear about how they will cope during strike action

Service users of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) are fearful of how they will cope following the announcements of strike action due to take place from Tuesday, October 17.
Many people with disabilities who attend the Tipperary branch of IWA are left wondering how they are going to endure the term of the strike without the vital supports they receive from IWA.

Michelle O’Shea from Golden, expresses her support of the Irish Wheelchair Association saying: “The staff are amazing, I think they should get the same pay as HSE workers because they do an incredible job, here in the Tipperary centre they go above and beyond. If they go on strike, we (people with disabilities), have nowhere to go. Who’s going to help me if this strike goes on for a long time? I depend on the IWA bus to get me out of the house and the centre is to important to me. It’s us that will suffer.”

IWA continues to engage with SIPTU regarding the issue of pay parity for its staff and expresses its unwavering support for them.

Tipperary Association Dublin members enjoy a guided tour of Croke Park

The current pay gap of €4.20 per hour between section 39 employees and HSE employees is a stark reminder of the disparity faced by those working on behalf of IWA to deliver crucial services to people with disabilities across Ireland.
Furthermore, IWA employees have already endured two pay cuts in 2010 and 2013, under the directive of the Health Service Executive (HSE).

“IWA staff don’t want to go on strike, but we are left with no option. The current recruitment crisis that the pay issue is causing is putting a huge strain on the staff that are left behind and ultimately the people who need our services. The staff are fantastic, they are doing double shifts and everything within their power in order to prevent our members from suffering but it has to end. It’s just not fair,” says Josephine Carroll, Community Centre Co-ordinator for IWA in Tipperary.
Pay parity is not merely an issue of fairness and recognising the value of dedicated professionals but also has dire consequences for the recruitment of qualified individuals into the sector. The ongoing crisis jeopardises the quality of specialised care provided to people with disabilities, and urgent action is required to address this systemic problem.
Irish Wheelchair Association implores the government to take immediate steps to rectify pay inequity, ensure fair treatment of its employees, and safeguard the rights and well-being of the individuals it serves. Failure to intervene will exacerbate the hardships faced by those most vulnerable in our society.