Lead worker representatives, drawn from the group of unions representing staff in city and county councils, were agreed for each of the 31 local authorities at a meeting yesterday (Thursday) between Fórsa and the local government employers’ national representative body.

Fórsa has said the Government must seriously consider increased local government funding as county councils around the country face budget deficits worth millions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Local authority vets are to ballot for possible industrial action over a proposal to transfer them from local authority employment to the Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI).

Fórsa and other unions have insisted that workers’ safety cannot be compromised as thousands of people return to workplaces under the Government’s ‘roadmap for reopening society and business’.

Fórsa has urged employers to ensure that line managers give proper support to staff who have to work remotely because of public health concerns.

Fórsa has asked the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to develop a business case to determine the number of additional directly-employed inspectors it will need to ensure compliance with the ‘return to work’ safely measures.

Increases in average weekly earnings in the public service continued to lag behind the private sector in the first quarter of 2020.

Wednesday week (28th June) will see the launch of a series of ‘wellness’ webinars for Fórsa members.