Minister Joe O’Brien announces new pay deal for Supervisors of Employment Support Schemes

Pay increase of 5% to benefit CE supervisors in Fingal

Minister of State for Community Development, Integration, and Charities, Joe O’Brien TD, has today announced a pay increase of five percent for supervisors and team leaders of Employment Support Schemes.

The pay deal will benefit over 1,600 employees of organisations that manage Community Employment (CE), Tús, Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Job Initiative.

These employees will see a pay increase of 3% from 1st April 2023, which will be backdated, and a further 2% from 1st November 2023.

Speaking today, Minister O’Brien said:

“I am very pleased that we can announce this great news today. Over 1,600 employees working to provide services to local communities will benefit from these increases.

“I have had the opportunity to visit CE projects across Fingal and have seen firsthand the great work being done there. I hope that today’s announcement will be a further boost to these schemes.

“The total pay increase of 5% is a significant improvement for these vital workers and will be paid over the coming weeks along with arrears backdated to 1st April.”

ENDS

Further Information:

Community Employment (CE) and Tús are active labour market programmes designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged people with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.

The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women in receipt of specified social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.

RSS is specifically designed and delivered to certain qualified people of working age whose income falls below certain limits. The valuable work undertaken by participants draws on their existing skills which may be further developed and shared throughout their participation.

Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. Recruitment to JI ceased in 2004.

The types of work CE, Tús, RSS and JI participants are involved in include local amenities management, environmental projects, arts and culture, sports, childcare, Tidy Towns, health-related services, meals on wheels and drug rehabilitation schemes.