John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to address the ongoing issue of the 15% pay gap between Tús supervisors and community employment supervisors within South Dublin County partnership at County Hall, despite performing similar duties; if her Department has any plans to resolve this pay disparity issue between Tús supervisors and community employment supervisors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54271/23]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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237. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for a timeframe to finalise the pay parity claim of RSS and Tús supervisors. [54378/23]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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243. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on her efforts to close the 15% pay gap between Tús and CE supervisors (details supplied); the reason the Principal Officer in her Department working on this did not recently meet with officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform as planned; if Tús supervisors will receive the update promised to them on 8 December 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54294/23]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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245. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide an update on work ongoing to address the pay gap between Tús scheme supervisors and CE scheme supervisors; whether her Department will commit to meeting Tús committees and union representatives without further delay; the reason for the delayed response to their pay claim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54311/23]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 235, 237, 243 and 245 together.

My Department operates a number of employment support schemes; including Tús, Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Community Employment (CE), for long term unemployed persons and low income farmers/fishers. I would like to acknowledge the important role that Tús and RSS supervisors play in providing valuable opportunities to participants in supporting the delivery of key services to local communities across the country.

It should be noted that Tús and RSS supervisors are employees of the individual Implementing Bodies (Local Development Companies), which are funded by the Department.

Earlier this year, union representatives and employers agreed, with the assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the support of Department officials, a wage increase of 5% for supervisors employed on Tús, RSS and CE schemes.

Officials in my Department continue to hold regular meetings with the supervisor's representative associations to discuss issues in relation to the delivery of all employment programmes. In recent meetings the representatives raised the issue of pay parity for Tús and RSS with CE supervisors.

It is important to note that there are differences in the work undertaken by CE compared to that undertaken by Tús and RSS, relating, for example, to the preparation of individual learning plans. As a consequence, we would expect the service fees paid to the service providers to reflect this difference in scope.

My Department, as funder of these schemes, and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform are considering the complexities involved in addressing this issue. It is also important to note that any changes to the fees paid or the funding model will require the approval of the Department of Public Expenditure , NDP Delivery and Reform.

Pending the outcome of these discussions, officials in my Department will continue to work with the Implementation Bodies and staff representatives in an effort to resolve the issue.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.