Some CUH housekeeping staff ‘forgotten about’ in pay rise plan

Cork University Hospital (CUH) housekeeping staff have raised concerns about proposals to increase pay for certain staff members while others have been “forgotten about”.

It comes following the outcome of a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) conciliation conference held on November 12 pertaining to the pursuance of the HSE Band 3 pay scales for housekeeping staff.

Staff received an email at 8.30pm last Wednesday from union body Siptu in which they were informed of the decision of hospital management that they cannot regrade all housekeeping members, on the basis that not all members are carrying out duties which award higher pay rates.

Management said that it accepts that ‘auxiliary’ staff do perform catering duties to a large extent and that it is accepted that catering duties form the majority of an ‘auxiliary’ staff member’s working shift/roster; however, it did not accept that staff on ‘floors’ have catering duties to the same extent, and advised that it does not have the authority to sanction an upgrade for all housekeeping members in the hospital.

Management proposed to upgrade ‘auxiliary’ staff to the Band 3 pay scales on the basis that their primary duties are of a catering nature. Management also proposed that it would backdate the payment to January 15, 2021.

Management was not agreeable to upgrade ‘floor’ staff and did not accept that Band 3 duties are the primary duties of staff in this cohort.

Members of ‘floor’ staff staged a sit-in on Thursday morning that lasted three hours before a meeting was held with Siptu representatives in which staff were told to return to work. 

Staff have now said they will strike if management does not agree to pay both ‘auxiliary’ and ‘floor’ staff equally.

Speaking to The Echo, housekeeping staff raised their concerns about the decision, describing it as “disheartening” and “degrading”. 

‘Floor’ staff members at the hospital said that ‘auxiliary’ and ‘floor’ staff work hand-in-hand in getting their duties done while on shift, and said ‘floor’ staff hold a number of responsibilities including handing out food to patients, fumigating rooms and sanitising all equipment, changing bins, cleaning bathrooms, and assisting with the additional needs of patients during busy periods on the wards.

“We’re short over 30 members of staff and there are staff working 50 to 60 hours a week, who are like the dead walking,” said a staff member.

“If you take out the cleaner, straight away the place goes into chaos. It doesn’t operate without us.

“We’re so short-staffed that they are taking staff from one place to another place who are covering about three people’s jobs so there is nothing being done fully and properly, and staff are very disheartened about it.”

Staff have since been told by Siptu that a vote on whether or not to accept the pay increase and backpay for ‘auxiliary’ staff only will be held within the next three weeks.

A spokesperson for Siptu said that the union and CUH/HSE management attended a WRC conciliation conference last week in an effort to resolve the issue satisfactorily for its members. 

No agreement or negotiated settlement has been reached between the parties. 

A statement by CUH read: “Cork University Hospital can confirm that some members of the housekeeping staff held a protest at the hospital this morning [Thursday]. 

“However, after meeting with their union representative, all the staff involved returned to work.”