Heather Humphreys has responded to the claims of a small group of National Advocacy Services staff who staged a protest outside her Monaghan Town offices today.
The staff, are on day eight of a protest to highlight their demand that a Labour Court recommendation on their pay and conditions is respected. National Advocacy Service staff work with some of the state's most vulnerable citizens, providing in-person advocacy interventions in areas like housing, access to justice, healthcare and safeguarding.
They have been calling for pay parity with other staff who carry out similar work on behalf of the Citizen's Information Board, which falls under the remit of Heather Humphreys' Department of Social Protection. In January, the WRC recommended NAS staff receive their first pay rise in 14 years but, so far they have not been received any increase.
A similar protest was staged outside the Wicklow constituency office of An Taoiseach Simon Harris today.
In a statement to Northern Sound, Deputy Humphreys said she "acknowledges and values the important services the NAS provides". She said her department had agreed to implement the labour court's recommendations but despite making a number of offers to NAS staff during four days of talks in June, "none of the offers made were accepted and the talks broke down". The minister now "strongly urges" all parties to "come back to the table to engage in further dialogue".
