Fórsa has slammed Aer Lingus management’s decision not to attend a Labour Court hearing on the closure of the airline’s Shannon base.

Fórsa has welcomed the publication of a new Government ‘Blended Working Policy Statement,’ which would see the civil service switch from pandemic-related remote working provisions to long-term ‘blended working’ arrangements between September 2021 and March 2022.

Coillte staff will enjoy five weeks of parent’s leave on full pay under a new four-year pay agreement negotiated with Fórsa.

Employers with more than 250 staff will now have to report on the gender pay gap in their organisation after President Michael D Higgins signed the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill into law earlier this week.

The number of people who died in work-related incidents last year rose 13% to 53, despite widespread closure of workplaces due to the pandemic. This was the highest number of fatal incidents since 2015, when 56 people lost their lives.

Fórsa has warned that strong State measures will be required to ensure that everyone shares in the potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) and other new technologies.

Fórsa and other unions have given a guarded reception to the Government’s new ‘Pathways to Work’ strategy, which was unveiled this week.