Kildare staff in Community Employment Scheme striking today

Co Kildare members of Fórsa and SIPTU, (pictured above) who are employed as supervisors and assistant supervisors in Community Employment Schemes,  are on strike for 12 hours today.

These workers are taking strike action as a last resort and in an effort to persuade Government to negotiate with them so that they can have access to an occupational pension scheme and a decent income in retirement.

Their claim for a pension scheme has been supported by the Labour Court and by Dáil Eireann who passed a motion calling on Government to put in place pension arrangements for these workers.

The Congress General Secretary further expressed concern that the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has in recent days written to sponsors of Community Employment schemes advising that funding may be reduced as a result of this industrial action.

The Congress General Secretary went on to to say that Government “should immediately engage with the representatives of this group of workers with a view to providing these workers with access to an occupational pension scheme”.