Labour Court calls for talks on HSE counsellor therapist pay scale

The Labour Court recommended further talks between the Health Service Executive and 20 Workers, represented by FORSA, over the Senior Counsellor Therapist pay scale. In a recommendation signed on 21 December 2022, it declined to recommend acceptance of the union's proposed scale, saying it should not devise or prescribe one. The Court said the parties needed to engage and compromise, and that maintaining the employer's suggested scale would not resolve the issue. It said any agreed adjustments would affect only the relatively small number of Senior Counsellor Therapist posts and would not risk follow-on claims. If direct talks did not resolve the dispute within four months, it recommended that the parties seek assistance from the Workplace Relations Commission.