Socia care workers You re better off in IMPACT Lots of benefits and discounts Professiona representation Your career Pay protection Fitness to practice A voice for socia care workers www.impact.ie
Socia care workers You re better off in IMPACT You re safer in IMPACT...2 Professiona representation...3 Your career: Your pay...4 Statutory registration: Protecting the professionas...5 A voice for socia care workers...6 Chaenging times...7 Lower bis: Benefits and financia services...8 The inside track: IMPACT communications...9 A ink to the wider word...9 How to join...10 What does it cost?...10 IMPACT appication form...11-12 The union for socia care workers
The union for socia care workers You re safer in IMPACT A growing number of socia care workers now enjoy the uniquey vauabe package of benefits that comes with membership of IMPACT, Ireand s trade union for socia care professionas. Membership of Ireand s argest and most infuentia pubic service union brings protection of your pay and working conditions, security in your job, professiona representation when you need it and a vauabe package of individua benefits. This incudes fu support and effective representation in fitness to practice situations after statutory registration is introduced. IMPACT has a team of expert negotiators to advise and support members if fitness to practice issues arise and has taken steps to ensure that IMPACT members are guaranteed a necessary ega advice and representation in fitness to practice situations.* As an IMPACT member, you can add your voice to a strong, infuentia organis - ation that protects hard-won professiona structures, and which campaigns effectivey on socia care issues incuding staffing eves, workpace assauts, pay for seepovers, and the ro-out of new primary care arrangements. IMPACT membership means: A growing number of socia care workers now enjoy the uniquey vauabe package of benefits that comes with membership of IMPACT, Ireand s eading trade union for socia care professionas. Professiona representation in negotiations with empoyers over pay, working conditions and other issues Professiona representation when probems arise in the workpace Advice and representation in individua grievance, discipinary or fitness to practice cases Exceent communications on the professiona and workpace issues that matter to you The right to participate in decisions that affect you Membership of an effective obbying and campaigning organisation An attractive range of individua benefits and financia services. IMPACT is the ony trade union recognised nationay by empoyers and Government to negotiate about your pay and working conditions. 2 * Six months continuous IMPACT membership is required to quaify for this benefit. Compaints and procedures that pre-date the commencement of your IMPACT membership are not covered.
Professiona representation IMPACT membership takes the worry out of deaing with your empoyer. Our members are entited to professiona representation if they re treated unfairy at work or suffer assauts, or when spending cuts, staff reductions, cosures or redepoyment threaten to affect their services.* It s good to know there s someone there to provide professiona representation if you find yoursef in difficuty or even a discipinary situation. IMPACT membership takes the worry out of deaing with your empoyer by providing professiona representation when you need it. Our professiona experts in empoyment aw and industria reations can dea with everything from simpe matters ike carifying maternity eave entitements or hoiday pay, to serious probems ike unfair dismissa, redepoyment, redundancy entitements or discrimin - ation. We have vast experience in representing socia care professionas in meetings with management and Socia care worker Annette Coins. in forma tribunas and hearings. This kind of security has never been more vauabe, with spending and staffing cuts, service cosures and organisationa change affecting virtuay every workpace. In a situations, professiona IMPACT representation underpins your ega rights and the protections in agreements ike the Croke Park dea. * IMPACT does not take individua cases on issues that pre-date the date on which the individua joined the union. See www.impact.ie for this and other conditions. 3
Your career: Your pay Socia care worker Tara Noone. IMPACT has a ong record of achievement in winning improved rewards and career structures, with proper quaification requirements, for socia care workers in a settings. At the end of the 1990s we achieved professiona recognition with the estabishment of socia care worker and eader grades in pace of the od houseparent grades. This was accompanied by vasty improved pay struc - tures for the first time, with increases of over 40% for staff moving onto the new grades. Then we successfuy fought for the extension of this pay and grading structure to staff in the disabiity services; a campaign that cuminated in a three-day nationa strike in 2002. Since then, IMPACT has successfuy defended pay, despite attempts to undermine the roe and work of socia care professionas. In today s cimate IMPACT is focused on protecting these gains in a very difficut economic and poitica environment. The Government imposed pubic service pay cuts in 2009 and 2010, and many commentators continue to advocate further reductions. As Ireand s eading socia care professionas trade union, IMPACT has a ong record of achievement in winning improved rewards and career structures for socia care workers in a settings. IMPACT ed the negotiations that deivered the Croke Park agreement, with its guarantee of no further pay cuts and no compusory redundancies, and constraints on management changes and outsourcing. The union continues to put pressure on the Government and empoyers to ensure that Croke Park principes are honoured, whie IMPACT remains the strongest defender of pubic service jobs, pay and conditions in pubic and poitica debates. 4
We have a nationa network of professiona negotiators who work every day to defend IMPACT members pay and working conditions through nationa, sectora, professiona and empoyment-wide agreements. The union aso negotiates directy with empoyers on scores of issues that affect your working ife incuding work organisation, the ro-out of primary care services and Chidren First guideines, equaity and famiy-friendy poicies, grievance handing and a wide range of other issues. As an extra security, socia care workers who are members of IMPACT are guaranteed a necessary ega advice and representation in fitness to practice situations. Statutory registration: Protecting the professionas IMPACT campaigned with others to achieve stronger reguation of socia care and other heath professions, which was seen as vita for cient safeguards and the deveopment of the profession. During the ate 1990s, statutory registration became a key demand in the union's successfu campaign for improved pay and grading structures for the heath and socia care professions. IMPACT paced registration at the centre of its argument for socia care to be recognised as independent and autonomous, and to be propery vaued as a profession in its own right. In 2000, the Expert Group on Various Heath Professions, set up on foot of IMPACT s campaign, gave its support for statutory registration, which is now becoming a reaity under the Heath and Socia Care Professionas Act. Whie pubic concern about professiona standards is understandabe and wecome, the media and pubic discourse has generay focused on specific decisions, judgements and aegations of abuse, without a corresponding recognition of the chaenges facing staff trying to cope with inadequate resources. Now the position of practitioners is changing fundamentay as a new reguatory approach sets standards of professiona conduct and estabishes methods of investigation and judgement in fitness to practice situations. As professiona standards are recognised and reguated to the benefit of cients, IMPACT membership gives you access to professiona representation and fair treatment in fitness to practice situations. 5
IMPACT s team of expert negotiators can advise and support members if fitness to practice issues arise. As an extra security, socia care workers who are members of IMPACT are guaranteed a necessary ega advice and representation in fitness to practice situations.* We re aso campaigning to reduce the cost of registration, which was unfairy set at a higher eve than for other registered professions. A voice for socia care workers As a member of Ireand s argest pubic service union, your voice is heard in the corridors of power and in pubic debates about heath and socia services, pay, empoyment rights, jobs and a range of issues that affect you and your famiy. IMPACT has effective communications and obbying experience, which we use to chaenge the Government and the HSE on the issues that matter most, ike socia care staffing and resources, heath and safety, the ro-out of primary care teams, and supports to staff at the frontine. Working cosey with Socia Care Ireand (and, before that, the Irish Association of Care Workers) IMPACT s Socia Care Workers Vocationa Group meets reguary and campaigns on professiona matters and other issues that affect socia care workers. Our extensive nationa network of oca branches, officias and staff are on hand to dea with members probems and keep them abreast of oca and nationa deveopments. IMPACT chaenges the Government and the HSE on the issues that matter most, ike socia care staffing and resources, heath and safety, and the ro-out of primary care services. Chidren s minister Frances Fitzgerad spoke at a major care workers conference organised by IMPACT in 2011. 6 * Six months continuous IMPACT membership is required to quaify for this benefit. Fitness to practice issues, compaints and procedures that precede the commencement of your IMPACT membership are not covered. For these and other conditions see www.impact.ie.
IMPACT is a democratic organisation where members decide poicies on oca and nationa issues. Members are entited to express their views to their representatives and to participate in branch annua genera meetings, where they can hod the union to account, put themseves forward for eection as a branch officer or branch committee member, or seek support for motions which, if appropriate, go for consideration at the conferences that set union poicy. Chaenging times More than ever, socia care workers need a strong friend in the workpace. With aggressive cost reduction now the main driver of changes in socia care, IMPACT is working with its members and ike-minded organisations, incuding Socia Care Ireand, to shape reforms in ways that benefit cients and practitioners aike. We are the strongest voice resisting those who want to row back on hard-won pay and conditions that refect the skis, professionaism and commitment of socia care workers. Athough some managers and professions sti refuse to see socia care as a profession in its own right, IMPACT continues to fight for parity of esteem for socia care professionas and to ensure that appropriate socia care eader posts are in pace. The union has worked to secure investment in chidcare and disabiity services and has argued for socia care to be excuded from the pubic service recruitment and promotion embargo as an aternative to the over-use of agency staff. IMPACT has worked to shape the focus and direction of the Chidren and Famiy Support Agency on chid protection and wefare issues, and has consistenty argued that Chidren First guideines shoud be we resourced to underpin chid protection. IMPACT has strongy resisted threats to aowances and shift premiums and, through its work with the European Federation of Pubic Service Unions, continues to fight to have European Court of Justice ruings impemented so that staff receive proper pay for seepovers. The union has aso highighted the serious issue of vioence at work and has a strong record of representing its members when they fa victim to assauts. The union is working to ensure that staff who are injured in assauts get adequate eave now and in the future. And IMPACT members are entited to free ega representation in bodiy injury compensation cases.* IMPACT is fighting to have European Court of Justice ruings impemented so that staff receive proper pay for seepovers. The union has aso highighted the serious issue of assauts. * Six months continuous IMPACT membership is required to quaify for this benefit. Injuries and procedures that pre-date the commencement of your IMPACT membership are not covered. 7
Lower bis IMPACT s arge membership has enabed the union to negotiate signifi - cant savings for IMPACT members in a range of financia services incuding saary protection, ife and motor insurance, trave insurance and more. These aren t avaiabe to non-members. We aso have an annua Gaetacht schoarship scheme. Among other things, IMPACT members are entited to* 4,000 free critica iness or death in service cover Free ega representation in bodiy injury cases A free 24/7 ega advice hepine A free 24/7 confidentia counseing hepine A free 24/7 domestic emergency hepine. New benefits 4,000 free critica iness or death in service cover Free ega representation in bodiy injury cases Free 24/7 ega advice hepine Free 24/7 confidentia counseing hepine Free 24/7 domestic assistance hepine 8 * Six months continuous membership required. Pre-existing conditions are not covered by critica iness or death in service benefit. See www.impact.ie for more on this and other conditions.
The inside track IMPACT members enjoy exceent communications on the issues that affect them. Socia care workers in IMPACT enjoy exceent communications on the issues that affect their income, profession and workpace. The union s suite of high quaity members communications incudes: www.impact.ie the website with reguar news updates on issues and campaigns pus detaied information on pay and incomes, empoyment rights, membership services, meetings and events, and much more. Many of the pages are ony avaiabe to IMPACT members. IMPACT s e-buetin a more detaied monthy buetin that carries a the atest news and deveopments on key issues that affect your income, working conditions and empoyment rights. Work & Life our high-quaity quartery magazine with feature artices on workpace deveopments, trends in working ife, workpace rights, union news and reguar features on food, fashion, career deveopment, fims, trave, music, gardens, books and ots more. Socia media IMPACT is active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other socia media sites. A ink to the wider word Many of the decisions and aws that affect Irish socia care professions and workpaces are rooted in Europe. That s why IMPACT represents Irish heath workers at European eve through its active membership of the Heath and Socia Services Committee of the European Federation of Pubic Service Unions, which is working to have proper pay for seepovers incuded in working time aws. IMPACT S Deveoping Word Fund financed by 3% of every member s union contribution aso activey supports scores of heath, education and community projects in the deveoping word. Since its creation in 1981, the fund has donated over 5.5 miion to projects from AIDS awareness and support in Africa, to gender equaity in Latin America and an internationa project on heath professionas migration. 9
How does it work? IMPACT s infuence and credibiity, and the resources we have to provide services to members, depend totay on the union s membership strength. That s true in everything from deaing with governments and empoyers, to negotiating financia services. If you re a union member, your union is stronger. If your union is stronger, you re stronger too. How do I join? Use the appication form attached on pages 11-12 of this booket. You can downoad more appication forms from www.impact.ie. Or you can get one from any IMPACT office or representative. Ask the person who gave you this booket. What does it cost? Membership costs 0.8% of your gross saary (80c for every 100 you earn) up to a saary ceiing of 44,800. It s an investment in job and income security. 10 Join IMPACT for individua protection and add your voice to campaigns to protect socia care services and the professionas who deiver them.
Appication for membership Pease fi out in bock capitas Persona detais: (Incude name as registered with your empoyer, ie name on pay sip) Name:... Aso known as:... (if different from above) Address:...... Gender: Mae o Femae o PPS No (if known):... Date/year of birth:... Daytime phone number:... Mobie number:... E-mai:... Empoyment detais: Empoyer:...... Workpace address:...... Grade/job category:... Empoyee/personne/staff number:... Security question: (We use this to verify your identity when you contact us.) What is your favourite...? (write in item of your choice eg coour, hoiday destination, etc) Answer:... Union membership history Have you been a member of IMPACT in the past: YES o NO o If YES, give detais incuding date eft and reason for eaving:...... Are you or have you been a member of another trade union: YES o NO o If YES, give detais incuding date eft and reason for eaving:...... I hereby appy for membership of the Irish Municipa, Pubic and Civi Trade Union. I undertake to abide by the Union rues and decisions taken in accordance with these rues. I confirm that the information provided above is correct to the best of my knowedge. I acknowedge that my entitement to assistance from the Union arises ony from the date of joining the Union and ony in respect of issues arising on or after that date. Signed:... Date:... 11
Appication for membership Authorisation for empoyer to deduct union subscriptions To: (Name of empoyer)... Pease deduct the IMPACT Union subscription, at the rate determined from time to time in accordance with the Rues of the Union, from my saary/wages and to pay this amount to IMPACT on my behaf. Pease commence this deduction as soon as possibe and continue it unti further written or eectronic notice either from me or IMPACT, as appropriate. I further request you to reinstate the deduction of my Union subscriptions to IMPACT foowing any period of career break or any other unpaid absence from work. I aso authorise you to provide to IMPACT for use by it in connection with my union membership, in paper or eectronic format, detais of these deductions together with updates of the persona and empoyment reated data set out in the IMPACT membership appication form. I am paid (pease tick appropriate box) Weeky o Fortnighty o Monthy o Other o Surname:... First name(s):... Empoyee/personne/staff number:... Empoyer s pay group (if known):... Grade:... Signed:... Date:... A copy of the data protection arrangements covering the reasons for particuar questions on this form and the uses by the union of this data is avaiabe on request from any IMPACT office and on the union s website: www.impact.ie Membership of IMPACT brings: Protection of your pay and working conditions Information and advice about your rights at work Representation in certain individua cases A campaigning union that defends pubic services and the peope who provide them Lots of discounts 4,000 free critica iness or death in service cover Free ega representation in bodiy injury cases Free 24/7 ega advice hepine Free 24/7 confidentia counseing hepine Free 24/7 domestic assistance hepine IMPACT membership subscriptions are set on a percentage basis so that those who earn ess pay ess. It costs 0.8% of basic saary (or 80 cent for every 100 you earn) up to an annua saary maximum of 44,800 (2012). To be competed by the branch Members Name:... Branch:... Date approved:... The above named has been approved as a member by the above branch. Signed:... Phone Number:... For IMPACT head office use Date deduction at source form sent to empoyer:... 12 Processed by:... Date :... Pease ensure that you have fuy competed and signed this form and return to IMPACT Head Office, Nerney s Court, Dubin 1.
DUBLIN Nerney s Court, Dubin 1. Phone: 01-817-1500 Emai: rnoan@impact.ie CORK Father Matthew Quay Cork. Phone: 021-425-5210 Emai: impactcork@impact.ie GALWAY Unit 23, Sean Muvey Business Park Sean Muvey Road Gaway. Phone: 091-778-031 Emai: impactgaway@impact.ie SLIGO 51 John Street Sigo. Phone: 071-914-2400 Emai: impactsigo@impact.ie A photos by Michae Crean Photography. www.impact.ie