Migrant healthcare assistants (HCAs) gathered outside the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to demand urgent reforms to work permit earnings rules, which they say are keeping them separated from their families.
Under the current system, many migrant HCAs earn below the income threshold required to apply for family reunification.
Workers have also pointed to a pay disparity, where those on contracts signed before 1 January earn less than new recruits despite performing the same role.
While the Government-mandated minimum salary for HCAs increased in January, the change did not apply retrospectively, leaving existing contract holders on salaries just over €27,000—below the threshold for family reunification.
In response, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment stated it would continue discussions with the Department of Justice and the Department of Health to ensure a “fair and sustainable” approach to family reunification for these essential workers.