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KPFA staff serve strike notice over pay disparities

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Medical and care staff working for Kerry Parents and Friends have served strike notice and will not report for work from next Tuesday.

The dispute centres on pay disparities. Most medial and care staff employed by the Health and Safety Executive are paid under Section 38 pay structures.

However KPFA is funded by government under Section 39 and that rate is lower that Section 38 employees.

KPFA is having difficulty retaining staff as many to more-lucrative Section 38 jobs.

In a letter seen by the Killarney Advertiser, Marie Linehan, the KPFA’s chief executive outlined her concerns.

She said: “KPFA is losing staff who are taking up employment directly with the HSE or with a Section 38 employer. In the current year, up to the end of July, we have lost a significant number of staff for these very reasons. KPFA fully supports the need for pay parity, and we have long advocated for this. Unions have asked KPFA to address the issue of pay parity for our employees, but we are not funded to do this and we have forwarded this request to the HSE, our primary funders, to seek this level of funding.”

The situation has now escalated and strike action has been served.

Ms Linehan added: “We have in the last week been advised by unions, that following a ballot of their members who are KPFA employees, the have unanimously voted to proceed with strike action.”

Strike action will commence on Tuesday and the staff will not return to work until there is some resolution of a renewed round of talks.

“Obviously, this is a very serious situation and I would like to assure you that we are seeking engagement with unions,” she added, “We also recognise the significantly disruptive impact strike action will have on people we support and their care givers and families and this remains a priority for the Senior Management team.”

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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