Government Must Bring Forward New Proposals Following Collapse of WRC Talks on Public Service Delivery, Says The Wheel

Thousands of vulnerable families will suffer if the government fails to act.

The breakdown yesterday (31 July 2023) of talks between unions and the government to provide resources for charities delivering public services on behalf of the state will have a rapid and serious impact on thousands of families. This includes the shrinking of services and escalation of waiting lists, according to the sector's representative organization, The Wheel. 

Ivan Cooper, CEO of The Wheel, called on the government to immediately convene further talks to bring forward realistic funding proposals. He said, "This should involve the restoration of fair and equal pay for staff to resolve pay deficits of up to 15% for charity staff compared to their counterparts in state agencies and to address recruitment and retention pressures." 

"Hundreds of voluntary bodies working in areas like disability, home care, addiction, homelessness, and the care of children and older people will simply be unable to maintain existing service levels due to a two-tier pay system, maintained by the state, that requires them to try to recruit and employ staff at unrealistic pay levels."  

Given the current impasse which threatens to quickly bring public service delivery to its knees, The Wheel states that charities delivering public services for the state must now also be involved in future pay talks. 

"The people who will ultimately suffer from the government’s intransigence are the thousands of often highly vulnerable people and families reliant on these services," said Ivan Cooper.