Labour Court recommends committee review in houseparents' pay dispute

In 2002, the Labour Court recommended that a joint committee examine intellectual disability workers after a dispute between the Health Service Employers' Agency (Hsea) and the Irish Municipal, Public And Civil Trade Union. The union sought to apply Circular 39/2001 to houseparents and assistant houseparents retrospectively from 1 January 2001. Management said the agreement applied only to child care workers. The Court said it could not decide between the parties' conflicting accounts about whether the agreement covered the intellectual disability sector. It recommended that the committee examine whether the same professionalisation process was appropriate for intellectual disability workers. If no agreement followed, the parties could refer back to the Court. The recommendation was signed on 1 February 2002.