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Working in the Health Services

We can take care of it

Working in the health service can be tough – even at the best of times. Employers in both the public and private healthcare sectors seem to believe that because you care so much, they don’t have to.

From the major public hospitals to the smallest private nursing homes, managements seem to think that because you work in one of the "caring professions," the money is unimportant – and so are things like rosters and annual leave.

With the health service in a constant state of crisis, health employees could be forgiven for thinking that they have no right to expect decent treatment from their employers.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Workers in the health service are as entitled as anyone else to fair pay and good working conditions – like agreed rosters, proper overtime rates and payments for unsocial hours and public holidays – as well as access to decent sick pay and pension schemes.

Benefits like these are not optional extras: they should be regarded as standard entitlements for all health workers, full-time or part-time – whether medical, administrative or support staff.

Of course, many health employees already enjoy these benefits. By acting together through their trade union, they have secured better pay and working conditions.

Throughout the health service, substantial improvements in pay and working conditions have been achieved by SIPTU members – including home helps, ambulance personnel, porters, administrative staff, maintenance workers, cleaners, catering and security personnel, radiologists, nurses and care staff.

By uniting workers from different areas of the health service, SIPTU has achieved a broad base of strength – which enables us to stand up for better job opportunities – including upskilling and training for career development – as well as improved living standards.

And best of all, SIPTU’s strength in the health sector means that almost all of these improvements have been secured without the need for strike action.

By adding to that strength, you can ensure your own job is better protected now and in the future.

So why not give SIPTU a call?
Together, we can make a difference.

 




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