Agenda and minutes

            Apologies were reported on behalf of Councillors Long, Hutchinson and McAteer.

            The minutes of the meeting of 24th May were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council, at its meeting on 1st June, subject to the omission of those matters which had been delegated to the Committee.

            No Declarations of Interest were recorded.

The Committee considered a report in relation to Notices of Motion which had been received for consideration by the Council at its meeting on 4th July.

            The Committee considered each motion in turn and agreed the following:

Moved by Councillor de Faoite,

            Seconded by Councillor Ferguson,

      That the motion in relation to Care Home and Top Up Fees be referred to the Council for debate, with no restrictions on the number of speakers.

Amendment

Moved by Councillor McCabe,

Seconded by Councillor Duffy,

      That the proposal standing in the name of Councillor de Faoite be amended to provide that the Committee agrees to adopt the motion.

            On a vote, nine Members voted for the amendment and five against and it was declared carried.

The amendment was put as the substantive motion and agreed.

A copy of the motion is set out hereunder:

Moved by Councillor Heading,

Seconded by Councillor Lyons,

      “This Council notes that Residential Care of Older People is a statutory function of the Department of Health and delivered through a number of private Care Home companies. The Council also notes that costs for standard care is paid from the budget of the Department of Health. Placement in a care home can be means tested and affecting savings and property owned by the resident. There are some cases where top up fees are introduced and paid for by either the resident and or family and introduces a second level of care based which profits the residential care home company. Furthermore, these top fees vary from care home and company to company and is not always reflected in the level of care or the wages of staff employed in care homes. The care of our older people is important to society and accordingly this Council calls upon the Department of Health to investigate the top up costs charged by care homes.”

            The Committee agreed that the motion in relation to Continuance of Hybrid Meetings be referred to the Council for debate, with no restrictions on the number of speakers.

          That Committee agreed that the motion in relation to Capital Investments in Parks, Public and Open Spaces be referred, in the first instance, to the People and Communities Committee.

Moved by Councillor Pankhurst,

Seconded by Councillor McCullough,  

            That the Committee agrees to adopt the motion.

Amendment

Moved by Councillor Ferguson,

Seconded by Councillor Flynn,

      That the proposal standing in the name of Councillor Pankhurst be amended and that the motion in relation to Support for the Caterpillar Strike for Fair Pay, be referred to the Council for debate, with no restrictions on the number of speakers.

            On a vote, eight Members voted against the amendment and five for and it was declared lost.

The original proposal standing in the name of Councillor Pankhurst was put to the meeting and passed.

A copy of the motion is set out hereunder:

Proposed by Councillor Matt Collins,

Seconded by Councillor Michael Collins,

      “This Council commends workers from Caterpillar factories, in West Belfast and Larne, for engaging in strike action for fair pay. The Council offers its full support to these workers campaigning for a fair pay increase. Staff in Caterpillar are highly skilled, yet many continue to receive a rate of only £10.70 per hour. With a rapidly escalating cost of living: workers are struggling to get by on these low wages and have taken strike action as a last resort to overturn this circumstance. The Council notes with concern that despite 6 weeks of consecutive strike action, Caterpillar refuses to engage with Unite the Union, or enter into negotiations for a fair pay uplift. This is completely unacceptable. This Council calls upon employers at Caterpillar to treat these workers with the respect they deserve. To this end, the Council agrees to write to senior management of 3.4 3.5 3.6 Caterpillar, urging them to immediately enter discussions with trade union representatives to negotiate a fair pay increase for staff.