Around 300 Siptu home help workers demonstrated at the Department of Health this afternoon at the failure of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to implement their 2004 agreement on pay and conditions.
Chanting "Be Fair to Those Who Care" and "No More Zero Hours," they handed over 1000 postcards from home help workers around the country to Department officials. The workers are calling for an end to the practice of 'zero hour' contracts and for more funding for the service.
"Uniquely and controversially, home helps are still employed on "zero hour" contracts where their pay can be reduced to "nil" in circumstances where a client is hospitalised or even dies. So while the Government acknowledges the importance of the home help service, it clearly remains the 'Cinderella' of the health sector," said Siptu Organiser, Orlagh Fawl.
"For years, the home help service has allowed older people to continue to live in their own home and community with dignity and respect. As well as providing personal and social care, home helps are often the only contact elderly people have during the day. The service also helps to reduce the demand on expensive hospital and nursing home care," she added.
She said the Government had stood over "a massive decline" in home help provision with a large reduction of 730,000 in the number of service hours from 2002 to 2004.
The HSE did come to an agreement with SIPTU in April 2004 to end 'zero hour' contracts but the HSE 'has still not delivered and continues to be in breach of the Terms of Employment Act and the Organisation of Working Time Act,' she said.
Siptu official Darragh O'Connor said home help workers would 'continue to protest until their demands are met.'