Paul Murphy: Northside home care - 'outrageous victimization'
Paul Murphy raises the Northside home care dispute in the Dail, focusing on pay inequality and the suspension of He accuses management of anti-union victimization after Borwick was suspended for asking clients to sign a petition.
Paul Murphy outlines that some Northside home care workers have been on industrial action since January, providing daily care for about 500 people. He highlights pay inequality - long-serving workers on just over 15 euros an hour while others are on minimum wage - and accuses employers of victimising their shop steward, Sonya Borwick, over a petition.
Murphy says Borwick was suspended on "spurious grounds," alleged to have breached GDPR by collecting client signatures and addresses on a petition. He describes the suspension as blatant anti-union victimization and urges the government and the Minister for Health to condemn the action and meet the workers.
In reply, the Taoiseach said he would ask the Minister for Health to investigate the suspension and to consider labour-relations processes. He cautioned generally about using clients to sign petitions while agreeing the broader issue needs resolution.
Murphy demands that the HSE treat the workers properly and that the Minister meet the staff. The exchange underscores tensions around pay equality, union rights and how community-based care staff are treated by employers and health authorities.
Key facts and allegation
Paul Murphy outlines that some Northside home care workers have been on industrial action since January, providing daily care for about 500 people. He highlights pay inequality - long-serving workers on just over 15 euros an hour while others are on minimum wage - and accuses employers of victimising their shop steward, Sonya Borwick, over a petition.
What happened to the shop steward
Murphy says Borwick was suspended on "spurious grounds," alleged to have breached GDPR by collecting client signatures and addresses on a petition. He describes the suspension as blatant anti-union victimization and urges the government and the Minister for Health to condemn the action and meet the workers.
Government response and process
In reply, the Taoiseach said he would ask the Minister for Health to investigate the suspension and to consider labour-relations processes. He cautioned generally about using clients to sign petitions while agreeing the broader issue needs resolution.
Consequences and next steps
Murphy demands that the HSE treat the workers properly and that the Minister meet the staff. The exchange underscores tensions around pay equality, union rights and how community-based care staff are treated by employers and health authorities.
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Transcript
Thank you Ciann Comhairle. Taoiseach, I've raised with you before the Northside home care workers who've been taking industrial action since January. Some of them are in the gallery. You know what the issue is here, which is about pay equality. These are workers, some of whom have worked for 25 years and are getting just over 15 euros an hour. Others are on minimum wage, they're getting about 30% less than others for doing the same job, which is providing vital care to about 500 people on a daily basis. What I want to raise with you today is the outrageous victimization of their shop steward, Sonia Barak, simply for standing up for the workers that she represents. She was suspended yesterday on spurious grounds, utterly spurious grounds. Supposedly she breached GDPR by asking people to sign a petition. She didn't use any information she had about their data as a result of working there. She simply was talking to the clients that support them, obviously the support they provide for them, asking them to sign a petition, asking for their address on a petition. Supposedly that's a breach of GDPR. It is blatantly anti-union victimization. I'd ask you to condemn this victimization, ask that she, she's in the gallery, she should be suspended. This action should be utterly condemned by the government and the Minister for Health needs to meet with these workers and instruct the HSE to treat them properly. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the Northside home care system and I, Deputy Murphy, sorry, you had referenced it, sorry, I take Deputy Murphy raised it and I'm not familiar with the background to the suspension of a shop steward. I will ask for that to be investigated and I'll ask the Minister for Health to check that out. I would be, I'm not saying this justifies suspension, I would be wary of using clients to sign petitions. I understand how that happens because people need the service and people want the service to be supported. I will talk to the Minister generally about the issue because I think they were here a number of weeks ago as well and this issue needs to be resolved. I will again talk to the Minister and, and the process that should be, that, you know, a process through labour relations to get it, to get it resolved and, and meanwhile I think, you know, the atmosphere around this should be one that allows engagement and so forth.