“We are sleep-walking into the collapse of a huge and essential range of services if we don’t address the shortfalls in funding which thousands of not-for-profits are experiencing,” warns Senan Turnbull, who has a lifetime’s experience in the Community and Voluntary Sector.
“We have entrusted delivery of services to the wonderful volunteer-led local and national groups. We have to recognise their realities before they collapse. We can’t have quality services on the cheap,” he says.
He and others, including national networks and trade unions (see Issue 79, Changing Ireland) have sounded an alarm over low pay, high staff turnover and high vacancy rates in projects that communities rely on for support.
“In the past, most of these organisations had salaries pegged to public service rates and there was a real recognition from state-finders of non-salary costs. Since the banking-caused crisis, these relativities have been broken and the only way salaries and overheads can now be met is by cutting services,” added Senan.
Senan previously worked for Area Development Management (now Pobal) and as a director of services with Fingal County Council. He has experience serving on the voluntary boards of at least 16 organisations, including Fingal Age Friendly Alliance, the Ballymun Social Regeneration Fund , the Citizens Information Board, Waterford Area Partnership, Dóchas and the Charities Regulatory Authority.
“Staff must be treated fairly or they will seek employment elsewhere and what will we do then to assist people with health and age challenges, who will run youth, social inclusion, education, drugs, homelessness, sports or arts programmes? Respect our volunteer culture. Fund it properly as we depend on it for so much,” he appealed.
– Senan Turnbull, former director of services with Fingal County Council
Welcoming the report on the issue from The Wheel/TASC, he said, “Without proper staff remuneration and a recognition of increased operating costs the not-for-profit sector, which delivers so many essential services, will not be in a position to continue to deliver quality or quantity in the future.”
Some organisations had already “drastically cut services” to pay overheads”, Senan warned.
Catherine Kelly, Deputy CEO of WALK in Dublin, also welcomed the publication of the report by The Wheel and TASC.
“The staff of these community and voluntary organisations work so hard. They are underpaid and undervalued by the State. Their commitment, dedication and level of performance is immense. These services will close without them.
“We are constantly in staffing crisis and vulnerable people and families suffer as a result. It is so important that we keep this conversation going,” she said.
Helen Buggle, residential care manager at Smyly Trust Services, agreed: “If the voluntary organisations continue to lose their people, vulnerable service users and their families will be left exposed to more suffering. The staff in many of these voluntary organisations do not want to leave, but we are working on 2010 pay scales,” she said.
“We were deemed public servants when we were asked to bail out the banks and were told our pay would be restored when the economy got back on its feet. However once that happened we were no longer seen as public servants,” she said.
