Welcome to ‘Day in the Life’ – a new series where SIPTU speaks to members performing vital jobs across the country. If you are keen to get involved in next month’s ‘Day in the Life’, contact your local SIPTU Organiser or Shop Steward.
Introduce yourself!
My name is Maureen McGarvey, and I’m a Catering Attendant at Letterkenny University Hospital. I’ve been a member of SIPTU for over 30 years.
How long have you been working at LUH?
I have been here 23 years. It’s a long time, but it has flown by.
Can you talk through what your average day looks like?
We officially start at 7:45 am, but most of the time we’re in a bit earlier, get coffee, get started and then we work until 1:00 pm. We have a split shift between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
When we come back at 3:00 pm, we prepare for dinner, serve dinner and tea and replenish the water jugs. It’s all go, but it’s all very fulfilling.
What’s the best part of your job?
I love meeting new people. You meet all ages, young, old and they all have their own stories to tell. So I really enjoy that part.
There’s nothing I don’t like about it.
The only thing I would like to change is to do a full day and have more downtime. Our current work schedule means we have a split shift with a gap during the day. If I could choose, I would rather work those extra hours and get a better work-life balance.
How long have you been a member of SIPTU?
I have been a member of SIPTU for over 30 years – since I was 18. But that’s through different jobs.
Why do you think it’s important to be part of SIPTU?
There have been many things over the years that have made me really grateful to be part of a union.
Before working at LUH, I worked in a factory and we were all being made redundant.
And of course, SIPTU came in to make sure we were all treated fairly when leaving and they set up new courses for all of us who were made redundant.
We are very lucky that management works very well with SIPTU within this hospital.
When issues arise, we meet with them to try to resolve them.
The job evaluation was great, with everybody assessed on their roles and how they had changed over the years.
For my job, a lot had changed. Over the years, many new diets have been introduced. There can be lots of patients, each with different illnesses and requiring different diets, so everybody’s catered for.
I’m also a Shop Steward here in the hospital. I have been a Shop Steward for nine years. It’s enjoyable, but it can be very challenging. Being a Shop Steward, you get all angles, so you get people on the good days and on the bad days. But the work is always worth it!
What’s the best part of being a Shop Steward?
The best part is being able to help people. Sometimes, when my colleagues approach me about something that’s wrong, they can feel quite hopeless and like they’re not being heard.
When you can go and speak for them and help them with it, it feels great!
A lot of the time, the issues can be fixed very easily.
Sometimes there are issues that need a lot of help and sometimes people have big issues or concerns, and you are trying to help them through it.
You really want to make sure they’re okay and getting everything that they need.
So you have all kinds of things you can help with on a daily basis, which keeps it interesting and worthwhile in the end.
What is a misconception about your job that you would like to address?
I think sometimes people might perceive catering as just a very simple job where you come in, make tea and toast and there’s nothing to do.
But there’s a lot more to it. You have to make sure the kitchen is fully restocked every day and kept up to environmental health standards at all times.
Everything has to be documented and you have to ensure you meet all patients’ dietary requirements in the ward. It’s a huge responsibility.
So you have to be incredibly organised.
Is there any other way that you are involved with the Union?
I joined the Support Sector Committee six years ago.
We meet in Dublin to discuss the issues going on nationally.
We set up campaigns and worked on the Section 39 and Stop 67 campaigns.
It’s great to be involved with the Support Sector Committee and it’s very fulfilling.
Why should people join SIPTU?
For me, I always wanted to be a member. I think everyone’s entitled to their working rights.
A lot of people don’t have them, and without them people can be taken advantage of. Whereas when you have SIPTU behind you, there’s always somebody to go to when you are experiencing issues in the workplace.
If you need help on the floor, regarding an issue with management, or bargaining, there is always someone from SIPTU to help with whatever is needed.
I just think it’s good to have that security, that they’re there and making sure that everybody is treated fairly and equally in their job.
I really believe in the work that SIPTU does, and it is needed now more than ever!