Workers responsible for broadcasting Oireachtas proceedings may consider striking as part of a dispute over pay and conditions.
Some workers employed at the unit held a protest on Tuesday outside the gates of Leinster House, supported by members of several parties, including Labour, the Social Democrats, Sinn Féin and People Before Profit. Independent TD and presidential candidate Catherine Connolly also supported the workers.
They claim their employment contracts only offer precarious work, with an average annual salary of €12,000. The workers also say many of them are out of work over the summer months and claim the dole while the Dáil is not sitting.
They are asking the Oireachtas to improve their conditions by inserting a clause into a contract for the provision of the broadcasting service, which is handled by a private sector operator.
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“While TDs and civil servants are still getting paid . . . A lot of us have to sign on,” said James Hickey, who works in the broadcasting unit. “Actually, a couple of our members can’t be here today because they’re currently down in the dole office.
“We don’t want to be paid Ryan Tubridy levels; we just want to be get paid a fair and decent wage and to support our families."
Mr Hickey said the workers have discussed escalating their dispute and, while moving to a strike would require a compliant process under industrial relations laws, such a step may become necessary.
The broadcast workers want changes to work arrangements and wages in line with what is paid to employees in RTÉ and Virgin Media.
The Dáil Public Accounts Committee has said it will review the contract for video and audio coverage of Oireachtas proceedings.
In June, a letter to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission said there is a “compelling case” for it to directly employ the 10 full-time and 20 part-time professional broadcast workers. The letter was signed by more than 160 TDs and Senators, including four Ministers of State.
Workers said on Tuesday they feel they have been given the brush-off by the Oireachtas Commission, which is the body responsible for running the Dáil and Seanad.
A new contract for coverage is set to go for tender in the coming months. The current contract is held by Pi Communications, which provides a similar service to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The company was selected by the Oireachtas in 2011 following a competitive open tender and has been reappointed twice.
The contract operates on a pay-per-public-minute of broadcast, so the company receives no payments during recess periods.
Pi Communications previously said the campaign is run by part-time employees who wish to become full-time civil servants and “who have engaged in ill-informed criticism of their employment terms to further that objective”.
“Rates of pay of all part-time staff supporting this contract are regularly benchmarked against industry norms and their total earnings are proportionate to the overall work undertaken throughout the year,“ it said.
“All staff have pension entitlements, receive sick leave and sick pay. They are also free to work on other projects or for other employers and most do,” the company said in July.
It said no complaints or concerns have been raised by its staff on any other of its contracts, which illustrates that this is a “policy” rather than a company matter.
