Health service managers and SIPTU representatives were called to Government Buildings last night in a last minute attempt to avoid today's strike by care assistants in residential homes for people with intellectual disabilities.
If the strike goes ahead centres run by St Michael's House and the Daughters of Charity will be affected, along with Stewart's Hospital in Dublin.
A nationwide strike involving IMPACT and SIPTU members is planned for Monday in pursuit of pay parity with childcare workers in statutory agencies. The latter were awarded increases of up to 44 per cent last April. While talks with SIPTU, which represents up to 4,000 care assistants continued last night, IMPACT is to meet again with the Health Service Employers' Agency at the Labour Relations Commission on Saturday. It represents most of the 1,200 house parents and assistant house parents involved.
Yesterday the chief executive of the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies Providing Services to People with Mental Handicap Mr Brian O'Donnell urged both sides to reach a settlement. He said that about 75 per cent of patients in residential care "don't have an option" and would not be able to cope in the outside world if the strike goes ahead.
Although strike notice was served last November it's only over the past few days that the seriousness of the situation has dawned on many families affected, as they received notice that patients were to be discharged from today onwards.
RTÉ's Liveline programme yesterday was given over to parents, many of them elderly and in ill health, who said they would not be able to cope.
The invitation from the Secretary General to the Government, Mr Dermot McCarthy, to SIPTU and the HSEA to meet him last night to defer industrial action was the first indication that the dispute is being taken seriously at Government level.
It is complicated by the fact that SIPTU represents mainly care assistants and IMPACT house parents. The unions are accusing the HSEA of reneging on the pay deal negotiated for childcare workers last April. The HSEA argues that any pay increase for childcare workers in the voluntary sector is a matter for the Public Service Benchmarking Body which is due to report in June.