IMPACT and health service managers meet again today in a last- minute effort to avert next week's strike in residential homes for people with learning disabilities.
The institutions, which include St Michael's House and St John of God's, look after hundreds of patients who cannot cope independently. If the strike goes ahead on Monday, most will have to released into the care of relatives.
The union has said it will provide essential care for patients who have no family network to fall back on. However, a spokesman for IMPACT stressed it would not offer the emergency cover given during an 1998 strike.
"Local health managers will have to demonstrate they have done everything possible to provide alternative care," a spokesman said. "Our members provided what was effectively full cover in 1998 and are not prepared to do so again."
SIPTU, which represents a small number of staff in Munster, has served strike notice for tomorrow. Both unions are seeking the restoration of pay parity with childcare staff working in the statutory sector who received increases worth up to 44 per cent in April. In some cases childcare workers received increases worth up to £8,328.
Both sides in the dispute met on Tuesday at the Labour Relations Commission but no progress was made.
At present statutory employees regraded as childcare workers earn between €27,710 (£21,823) and €36,248 (£28,548) a year, while assistant house parents in the voluntary sector earn between €23,317 and €30,372. A childcare leader in the statutory sector can earn up to €42,361, while a house parent doing similar work in the voluntary sector has a maximum of €33,340.