Workers are at the end of their tether, says Cllr Kelly
Cllr Emer Kelly with fellow members of Fórsa.
Public sector workers do not wish to be on the picket lines today, Cllr Emer Kelly has said.
The Independent councillor from Ballyforan, South Roscommon, was one of hundreds of thousands of people on strike today.
An occupational therapist and a member of Fórsa, Cllr Kelly was on the picket lines at Portiuncula University Hospital. She explained that there was a much reduced service at the hospital but that emergency cover was still being provided.
“There are over 300,000 people on strike today and that’s 300,000 people who are taking the hit of a day’s wages to advocate for the need for better pay and conditions,” she said. “People are struggling. Inflation is rising. Fuel costs are rising.
“I was out on the picket line and I was speaking to a lady who joined us. She works in Galway but decided to come to Ballinasloe because she couldn’t justify driving to Galway without a day’s wages. That sums up how bad things have gotten.”
Frontline emergency workers cannot work from home and are exposed completely to spiralling fuel costs, she added.
She also highlighted the HSE’s inability to provide cover for maternity leave in some social care posts.
“It is disheartening,” she said. “The rest of the team has to do more and then it ultimately falls back on the patients. I am sure it is the same across the board, across the public sector. People are working with more stress, work extra hours, and have less time with family.”
She said that public servants are not being treated right and “they have been ignored for far too long”.
Cllr Kelly said comments made by politicians about people wanting to go on strike were unhelpful.
“I can tell you nobody wants to go on the picket line,” she said. “There is a disconnect there between what’s actually happening on the ground and decisions being made.”
Cllr Kelly said on previous occasions unions had stepped back from taking industrial action, but long standing issues remained.
“You still have vacant posts, pay that isn’t matching the rate of inflation. People are at the end of their tether,” she said.
