Home care workers say new pay proposals are 'a betrayal'

Katie Mellett

The proposed tender offered to home care providers by the HSE and Department of Health is a "betrayal of home care workers" according to Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI), which represents private home care companies.

Joseph Musgrave, chief executive of the HCCI said: 2For more than 18 months, the sector has actively engaged with the Government and the HSE in discussions around reforming the home care service in Ireland.

"We all agreed that home care workers need a predictable income; to be paid the Living Wage, travel time and mileage as well as access to career development opportunities – essentially they should be respected and valued for the crucial work they do day in day out.

"The sector is committed to this as it is the right thing to do as well as the only way forward to keep the sector viable and sustainable into the future. However, we cannot do it alone."

He said that in the latest tender, the HSE has refused to state what rate they determine to be a living wage and have not engaged with the sector to calculate travel time.

Despite this, providers have decided to accept the tender offer with the aim to rectify it between now and August 14th, when the new contract will come into force.

Mr Musgrave said: "We all know that Ireland has an ageing population and the pressures on the care system will only increase. This is a time to plan ahead and make decisions that enable our carers to do more.

"The terms of this tender are undermining the care sector and is certainly not a logical next step towards reform.”