Pay proposal marks 'step forward' for Tullamore CTC workers: Carol Nolan

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has she welcomes the confirmation she has received from the Irish Association of Community Training Organisations (IACTO) that a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) pay proposal has been issued following conciliation between IACTO and SIPTU.

SIPTU are currently holding a ballot of all the CTC members on the offer which is expected to pass.

Deputy Nolan said this development provides the first concrete confirmation that the pay dispute she raised in her Parliamentary Question (PQ) to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, and which directly impacts staff at the Tullamore Community Training Centre, has now moved toward resolution.

In that PQ, Deputy Nolan sought clarity on the status of the pay claim and the proposal that had been put forward. She said the acceptance by workers in Tullamore shows that staff are ready to move forward and that the phased increases recommended by the Commission have been endorsed by those directly affected:

“This is a very welcome development for the workers in Tullamore CTC. It confirms that the proposal referenced in my parliamentary question has now been accepted at centre level by staff who have waited far too long for fair treatment,” Deputy Nolan said.

Deputy Nolan highlighted that the Commission’s proposal includes a series of increases totalling 9.25% and that the Commission itself acknowledged the prolonged period during which Community Training Centre workers received no pay adjustments and had no effective mechanism for collective bargaining.

She said this acknowledgment underscores the seriousness of the issues she raised in her PQ,

“The workers in our CTCs have shown real resilience and determination on this issue and I am delighted that I could assist them in raising the matter with the Minister for Further and Higher Education and indeed with the Department of Public Expenditure,” concluded Deputy Nolan