Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE LAST TWO weeks have been a lot for many of the people we know and love at Inclusion Ireland. The final report of the Farrelly Commission was published, detailing the horrific neglect and abuse of “Grace,” a woman with an intellectual disability left in a foster home over many years. That was despite concerns over her neglect and a succession of sexual and physical abuse allegations.
We are reflecting on the re-traumatisation of survivors. 2000 pages of a report published with no warning. No accessible version was available for survivors to begin to comprehend. Very few answers and a lot more questions. The death of Pope Francis this week, then, of course, brings a complexity of thought and feeling for many. As a nation, we have yet to fully comprehend the long and sad history of our institutionalised past, one that is intertwined with that particular religious institution.
While we heard about Grace, we also watched public discourse around Autistic and Neurodivergent people’s experiences shift in the wrong direction. There was discussion about possible ‘trends’ in ADHD and Autism “diagnoses”, and questions as to the reasons for this. This type of “system focused “rather than “ people focused” conversation is ultimately unhelpful to Autistic and Neurodivergent people and does little to address the very real barriers people face in just living their day-to-day lives.
It’s clear now that the line from our past to our current thinking has got to be drawn. “Institutionality” is a deeply held belief or bias that institutions have the answers rather than people or communities.
Most people working in systems want to do a good job, they want to help people, but when things get pressured, resources are few and far between, and waiting lists are long, unfortunately, systems sometimes look for a scapegoat. In this instance, sadly, the scapegoat seems to be the very people the system purports to help, recreating a playbook as old as time.
We observe this with people painted in a negative light, with damaging rhetoric like “everyone wants a diagnosis these days”, or suggestions on social media that people want a diagnosis to get benefits.
The fact remains that the Government published its commissioned Indecon Report in 2022 spelling out in real terms how much it costs you to live your life if you are disabled. Many people with an intellectual disability face costs in their lives of up to €13,000 per year for transport, medicine, equipment, you name it. Many disabled people live in poverty. The idea that the “benefits” make you rich is insulting and just factually inaccurate. The idea that institutions have the answers, rather than the people with direct lived experience, is a story so familiar in Ireland. One we are slowly unpicking, but one we must stay vigilant to.
There is an alternative approach here that would be helpful — admitting out loud that we have vastly underfunded services and supports for our disabled community for decades, and starting the conversation from that point. It would also be helpful for the system to recognise that we live in a deeply ableist society, and acceptance and celebration of difference, whilst getting some airtime now, is a relatively new concept in Ireland. It is also essential that we admit institutionalised thinking is alive and well and must be recognised, examined and challenged.
Looking further afield, we see the same playbook in more extremity, happening in the United States with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unleashing what can only be described as an outright onslaught of propaganda against the Autistic community. The message from RFK is that humans are only valuable if we work, we “give back” by paying taxes, if we speak verbally, if we play sports and if we reproduce.
We are valuable because we are human, end of, full stop. We are valuable if we have jobs, but we are also valuable if we never work. We are valuable if we need 24 /7 care to have a good quality of life, we are valuable if we are non-speaking. What happens when a group of people are de-valued is that automatically there is a group of people who are perceived as “more valuable”. They get to make the decisions, they get to have the power, they get to say whatever they want to say. In this kind of world, abuse is simply much more likely to happen.
The kind of rhetoric from RFK (and indeed from some people closer to home) is the exact kind of thinking which led to Grace being left in a foster home for 20 years, despite all the warnings from whistle-blowers. It is the kind of thinking that saw Grace as less valuable, therefore, she can be treated this way, therefore we can turn the other cheek.
We have a real opportunity to signal a sea change as a state with the publication of the new national disability strategy in the coming months. The strategy spells out actions and commitments across the whole of Government which are focused on the human rights of disabled people and how the state can actively work cohesively to improve people’s lives.
There are very committed people working on this strategy, there has been wide consultation. It has got to begin to address the very real exclusion of disabled children and adults. To be ambitious in the creation of the kind of communities we should all want to live in, where people are accepted exactly as they are and the state does absolutely everything in its power to support people to live their lives as equals in their own homes, in their own way.
The strategy has got to focus on the creation of systems where the voice of disabled people is central, to turn the tables of power for once and for all. The only way to avoid more abuse from happening is to hand back the power to where it belongs. Access to independent advocacy must be a priority for children and adults, legislation must be strengthened, and human rights have got to be the unwavering focus.
We should all have the great privilege to know the real joy of being in community together, the learning humankind could have if we were willing to value our differences, and value one another. This is the real lesson from the last two weeks. I hope we are all ready to learn it.
Derval McDonagh is CEO of Inclusion Ireland.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
What a shower of morons do they not realise that they are damaging the country’s reputation and damaging the company’s long term viability and reputation and therefore it’s ability to offer any more money to shore up the fund. Why are SIPTU not talking about themselves putting more money into their own staff DB pension which is also in deficit. More of the same do as we say don’t do as we do.
No one wants to strike,aerlingus workers have paid into their pensions,are you telling me if someone told you the money you paid into was gone ,you would just say ok.
It did happen to my DC pension scheme following the market collapse but as I was in the private sector there was nothing I or anyone could do. So I still say these morons are wrong and expecting their employer to make up a market shortfall in their pension is nonsense. Tell them to wake up and live in the real world .
As bad as the esb workers threatening to strike during Xmas.
Haven’t SIPTU reduced the benefits from their own Pension Fund due to stock market realities ? Surely this would therefor lead to some reality in terms of how they would deal with shortfalls in Pensions within their Members own Company Funds.
It seems that reality can be replaced in the current circumstance by bully boy greed and plundering as SIPTU sees the current Government as a soft target in the run up to Local and EU Elections.
Isn’t it just wonderful to see such revolting dishonesty where a National Airline and our Major Airports can be closed to travellers on a National Holiday whether they are tourists or business people.
Are we insane to be behaving in this fashion in the middle of the worst economic storm to ever hit our shores or is this madness simply an expression of our greed as a people?
Dont be worrying about the workers Rodgers just as long as the government Ministers and the bond holders are looked after by the Irish tax payer.
Paul Mc, I would like to agree with you but it is true that SIPTU is doing what Aer Lingus want to do. This is 100% gross hypocracy from SIPTU. Of course it doesnt help the airlines case when the CEO gets 1.2 million per year plus a pension top up of about 8%.
Ah to have the luxury of striking.
My entire company lost our pensions too, but as we’re private sector we’re attempting to deal with it privately, ie without pissing off the general public in the process.
SIPTUS PR department logging in en masse to give the thumbs down to any dissenting voice.
I’d say pretty much every private sector worker in the country who had a pension would have a major shortfall after the crash, but we don’t have the “hold the country to ransom when all eyes are on us” negotiating option.
We should ask them to comment on their own failure to deal with the deficit in their own DB pension scheme other than by just cutting their members’ benefits by 20 per cent without any consultation. If they won’t make up the shortfall why do they expect Aer Lingus and others to do it.
Aer Lingus have competitors. They could lose customers permanently to then over this fiasco. It’s always wise for employees to know who pays your wages. It’s your customers. No customers no job no pension. Risky move pissing off the people putting money in your pocket.
You can be sure all our Kildare street travellers will get away without and disruption to their jollies !!
I hope the ones that are not going to attend the parade in New York don’t bother to travel at all
Siptu . Shop stewards back handers brown envelopes . Baggage handler one week supervisor the next .
The Government has a duty to introduce legislation to ban all strikes on special occasions such as St Patricks week!
Has SIPTU executives any patriotic spirit or are they just “blackmailers” in executive clothing?
Do they not realise the Financial crisis this country is in ?
Is SIPTU going to destroy this country again or help to rebuild Ireland as a Tourist Destination ?
The Government should introduce legislation to fine SIPTU at least €100,000 per day if they go on strike at this time?
All the executives of SIPTU should disclose their salaries and all perks and should be dismissed from any Government appointments immediately if they go ahead with the strike.
The Government should withdraw any subsidy it pays to this trade union immediately.
First off all employees of the DAA and Aerlingus were told as part of there contract they had to join a union and join the company pension fund.If you failed to do either you were not given the job.
So fast forward a few years and the pension is screwed.The trustees of the pension, past and present governments and the DAA (Aer Rianta) and Aerlingus have all sat on the fence hoping that this crisis wouldn’t blow up in there face.
Every single employee of both companies has tried and wanted to get out of the pension for years.Every fornight or month employees are throwing there wages into a black hole with no hope of getting it back.
If we were allowed to pull out of the pension fund it would collapse and present retired staff would have no pension each month.
The other problem is both the DAA and Aerlingus stopped new employees from joining the pension scheme. This means that staff who are there 15yrs ect have no one behind them to contribute there pension in years to come.
Talks have been going on for over three years between the trustees union’s and companies. If the government think this will be resolved in four weeks there more stupid than I thought.Yes the strike will be inconvenient for travelling public for 4 hours. But its all the employees of DAA and Aerlingus have left.There democratic right to strike.
Only thing unions ever agreed with is benchmarking
Having accounted for all the CRC topups, TD pensions and other entitlements, how is this any different? Is it a class difference, say “i am entitled to it three times and its yours”. if the goverment does not support interests of common people, how else can they gain attention.
Who is forcing employees to join both union and pension fund? the union – SIPTU
Aerlingus staff do not want to continue paying into the old fund, and Air Lingus management agrees and want to create a new ‘defined benefits’ scheme.
The pension fund has never been viable, as it guarantees pensions payouts linked to final Salary. All risks are therefore taken by the newest employees, eg any fund losses. Its a classic Ponzi scheme.
The union championed and supported this pension while Aer lingus was state owned.
SIPTU is not willing to accept the reduced pension terms without a strike, as this, in their blinked minds, sets a presidence – and they need to stick to the standard union script that a company must also hurt as a warning, regardless of the reality(crash of 08 to 12).
I blame SIPTU organiser Dermot O’Loughlin for this impasse, he needs to be fired and replaced with someone who is not entrenched in antiquated union positions, they need to take a page from Germany’s unions – working closely with management to resolve issues.
Not this ugly, militant, grandstanding, 20th century form of union representation. What can we do to get this man fired and replaced with someone competent?
@peter o brien. Im sorry. Your wrong on most of your statements.As an employee of one of the companies involved in this dispute it was part of our contract to join the pension fund.When I mean contract I mean our employers contract.Nothing to do with siptu.
To explain again we were FORCED to join this pension. No ifs or buts.This was the way it was.You could never leave the pension unless you were leaving either company.
Please don’t take me for a fool.I know the truth about whats going on which is more then I can say for you
I’ve seen the contract and have friends that work in Aer Lingus as independent contractors.
The pensions fund and its contract stipulations were derived over many years between the government and SIPTU. If you are an independent contractor you do not need to pay into the fund, and you not entitled to any of its benefits..
The companies involved get no value from the fund, have no say how the fund is managed or invested, its independent.
As far as current employees wanting to move to a new separate fund.. Thats public knowledge, no insider info there, use google and you will find many references to it from both employees, unions, company, pensions board etc.
I can understand your anger at your current predicament, but you are not going to resolve this dispute by aggression, blackmail, threats etc.. The pension fund is under the direction of independent trustees, who haven’t had the backbone to state to members that the emperor(fund) has no clothes, only coming forward a couple of weeks ago to recommend cuts needed to save the fund…
If anything your anger should be directed to these fund trustees first, these supposed guardians of the fund, secondly to SIPTU for over promising pension entitlements to the determent of the current employees.
Why do you feel its the company/Aer Lingus management fault for the funds current and historic problems?
In the long term, facing the music now, sorting the pension issues out now and not kicking the can down the road (again) is good for both current employees and the companies involved.
Agree to cooperate with their employers. If fire a few to focus the attention of the rest
On the plus side, ferries will get a boost next weekend. I, for one, have booked with Irish Ferries for my long weekend trip to the UK. Takes longer but not worth the anxiety of wondering whether I’ll get there or not.
If employees were forced into pensions then surely legal action would be a good course of action. Take it to European court if necessary. Holding the country to ransom will only serve to alienate the public whereas I believe that people would support legal action. Similar to what ESB workers are doing.
have your say