Fórsa’s School Secretaries branch has seen a 10% surge in its membership since the January launch of the union’s Support Our Secretaries campaign.

Fórsa trade union has warned the Department of Education and Skills that its SNA members will not cooperate with a proposed special needs assistants’ (SNA) pilot project unless there is consultation and engagement with the union.

Two-thirds of Irish adults think the pay of highly-trained childcare staff should reflect their qualifications, according to an annual study conducted by Early Childhood Ireland.

Branches in Fórsa’s Education Division have made history by exclusively nominating women to go for election as divisional officers and executive members.

Fórsa is studying the detail of last week’s Labour Court recommendation regarding the nurses' dispute, and will also want to see the outcome of further talks on a proposed new nurses’ contract before fully assessing any implications for other civil and public service grades.

Legislation to extend unpaid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks and increase the child’s qualifying age from eight to 12 years has again been backed by the Government after it appeared to have withdrawn support.

Clerical and administrative staff are among the groups hardest hit by the cost of housing, which has risen much faster than incomes, according to a new report from the Nevin Economic Research Institute.

Management in the civil and public service should work with unions to ensure that the introduction of new technologies does not lead to job losses or poorer services.