'We feel that we have been ignored' – care worker accepts ...

The Cork care worker, whose supermarket meeting with Taoiseach Simon Harris last Friday became the “viral moment” of the general election campaign, said she wants the focus firmly placed on the message rather than the messenger.

“It isn't about me,” she told the Irish Independent.

“It should be about care workers, their pay and working conditions but, above all, it should be about the people that they care for and who entirely rely on the care they provide.”

Ms Fallon, who lives in Kanturk, made headlines when Mr Harris abruptly cut short a discussion with her about the pay and working conditions of care workers.

The exchange was caught on an RTÉ video clip that went viral and has become one of the biggest talking points of the election campaign, particularly because Mr Harris made disability issues one of his cornerstone pledges.

The Taoiseach has been a long-standing advocate for the care and special needs sector given that his mother is a special needs assistant and his brother has autism.

Mr Harris later admitted he made a mistake by not engaging with Ms Fallon, who left the supermarket distressed.

Later, the care worker said she felt “silly” and “stupid” for having raised the plight of care workers with the Taoiseach.

Simon Harris asked whether exchange with Charlotte Fallon will overshadow election campaign

Mr Harris contacted Ms Fallon on Saturday and apologised in a conversation that lasted 20 minutes.

He also said he would like to meet her after the general election campaign to discuss issues surrounding disability support.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said the supermarket exchange was one of the defining moments of the election campaign.

He is a human being and I know he was after a very long day

Ms Fallon accepted the apology from Mr Harris and said she also regretted how the supermarket meeting unfolded.

However, what she doesn’t regret is fighting for fairness for Section 39 care workers.

Section 39 organisations are groups that have agreements with the HSE to provide care within communities.

Ms Fallon found herself in the eye of a political storm when all she wanted was a commitment to improve the pay for Section 39 carers, address staffing issues throughout the sector and ensure those who rely on such care receive the support they deserve.

In the 48 hours after the exchange with the Taoiseach, she had to screen the tsunami of calls she received by allowing them to go to voicemail and she has turned down most media interviews.

“The phone never stopped ringing and all I wanted was time with my family before I go back to work,” she said.

Charlotte works for the St Joseph’s Foundation as a care provider.

On occasions, she rises at 6am to prepare for a work shift that begins at 7am and finishes at 7pm. Other shifts can vary from 8am to 8pm.

If urgent issues arise outside of her shift that require her attention, any work matters she deals with largely go unpaid.

St Joseph’s not only provides care for its clients, but also provides respite care for families when possible.

Such are the strains on the over-stretched service that sometimes respite cannot be provided.

Ms Fallon said the sector is run by dedicated, hard-working staff who were passionate about a career that is effectively a vocation.

“I'm not alone in that - it is the case for a lot of Section 39 workers,” she said.

“I generally work in the retirement section, to be fair, there are a few in the [care] house that wouldn’t be older, but would have very specific needs. We provide for those needs because we have the hoists and things like that which are required.

“Some of the houses cannot cater for that because they don't have the facilities for it.”

She worked for years as a hairdresser before deciding on a career change and fell in love with care work.

“I just wanted to find my feet after being a hairdresser for years,” she said.

“I am just over three-and-a-half years here now and I love it. It is so close to my heart. When I came to St Joseph’s I realised it was what I was searching for.

“I had volunteered for COPE Foundation. My mother was a healthcare assistant in Kanturk Hospital for years. She cared for my grandparents, her own mother and father as well as her brother. She was absolutely outstanding.

“I always said I wouldn't want [my parents] to have to go to a home. Not that there's anything wrong with a home – absolutely not. But I wanted to help keep them home as long as I possibly can. That was one of my main reasons for training in the care area.

“It is always something I am very passionate about.”

Ms Fallon said that while care work is effectively a vocation, staff who effectively do the same work as others deserve the respect of being paid the same.

All I want is for the work we do to be acknowledged and respected in terms of the pay we receive

“We are entirely reliant on funding because we are a voluntary organisation. We are partially funded by the HSE, but Section 39 workers seem to have been given the biggest blow in the world,” she said.

“We fought to get our pay money back in terms of pay parity [after cutbacks over a decade ago]. But we only got a bare minimum of 8pc which is being paid in dribs and drabs.

“They wouldn't give us the full amount that we were supposed to get originally. The Government has pushed back on the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) several times now.

“There is a handwritten letter recently sent to Simon Harris, but it appears to have been ignored unfortunately.

“We fought long and hard for our money. But we feel that we have been ignored.

“We are 18pc behind the HSE and Section 38 [workers].

“We provide great care. We have great staff. We train people in – they get what they need and they say: ‘Do you know what, we are only paid buttons?’ They go to other places for better pay.”

Ms Fallon said the tragedy is that those who depend on care are the ones who pay the price.

“It is very sad because our lads become so adjusted, they get used to people and it can be very upsetting,” she said.

For argument, let’s say Mary leaves to go to a better paid job. Our lads then will ask: ‘Where is Mary gone?’ They wonder did they do something wrong – was it them? It is hard for them to comprehend why a care worker they liked, they had gotten used to and they relied on had left.

“It is very, very hard, not just for the lads, but for the staff who want to stay to see great colleagues leaving, many of whom would stay if they received fair pay.”

As for her encounter with the Taoiseach, Ms Fallon said she greatly appreciated his subsequent phone call and the offer of a meeting after the general election to discuss carer pay and working conditions.

“He is a human being and I know he was after a very long day. I do feel for him and I know that general election campaigns can be very rough. I am glad we got to chat on Saturday,” she said.

“All I want is for the work we do to be acknowledged and respected in terms of the pay we receive. I think it is the least we deserve.

“I am so proud that the plight of the sector is getting out there now and people are voicing more concern. They are speaking up and they are being heard. Because people have been shut off and phones have been hung up on them.

“I’ve have had loads of people telling me their beautiful stories and they are heartbreaking stories. I think it is time we all said enough is enough.”

Ms Fallon said the care sector does not need platitudes, apologies or praise, what it needs is funding and resources to allow the carers who are passionate about their jobs to make a difference.