Over 170 community employment (CE) supervisors from across the country met in Portlaoise last week to advance the union’s campaign for pension justice. The meeting of IMPACT and Siptu members was called in advance of next month’s meeting of a high level Forum for the community and voluntary sector, and against the backdrop of IMPACT’s political lobbying campaign.

The meeting passed a resolution mandating the union to take further action if an outcome is not reached at that forum. Although CE supervisors provide a valuable public service, they are not treated as public servants for pension purposes, which leaves them with no occupational pension provision at all.

IMPACT has recently held meetings with senior representatives of political parties and groupings in the Dáil including Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Independent Alliance. There have also been meetings with advisers to the independent ministers in government.

Further meetings with party spokespeople and ministers are lined up, and the issue is on the work programme of the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection.

Back in 2008, the Labour Court recommended that a pension arrangement be put in place for CE supervisors, and funds were allocated by FÁS. However, the economic crisis and abolition of FÁS led to delay.

IMPACT raised the issue in pay talks in 2015 and 2017, and secured the establishment of a high level forum to deal with the issue under the Lansdowne Road Agreement. More recently, the union won a commitment to complete a scoping exercise by the end of this month.

Read our statement of case HERE.

An IMPACT survey for CE supervisors closes tomorrow (Thursday 19th October).