Labour Court recommends Northside Home Care Services review pay after industrial action

The Labour Court recommended that Northside Home Care Services review pay for its workers after industrial action over increases comparable to those received by other healthcare assistants. The recommendation, dated 6 August 2026, also calls on the Independent Workers Union to step down its action and formally notify the employer. The union said about 40,000 workers received a 9.25% increase under a national agreement, while Northside’s workers were excluded. The employer argued that its tendered services were outside the agreement and that funding arrangements prevented it from applying the deal. The Court said the exclusion from a national deal involving parties outside this dispute was not a dispute between these workers and their employer and fell outside its jurisdiction. It noted that Northside had granted increases totalling 6% in 2024 and 2025, compared with 5.5% under the national agreement. After receiving the union’s notification that industrial action had ended, the employer should carry out the pay review it had indicated to staff.