Tributes to Fórsa activist Jerry King flew in after it was announced on Wednesday (6h April) that the former IMPACT president had passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Public expenditure minister Michael McGrath has told his officials to engage with unions after unions triggered the review clause of the Building Momentum public service agreement. The two sides are expected to meet for an initial engagement next week.

Fórsa met with local authority employers this week discuss the implementation of a blended work framework in the sector.

The Government has outlined details of a new auto-enrolment occupational pension scheme targeted at workers who don’t currently have any pension provision other than the State pension.

Substantial progress on reducing carbon emissions is needed within the next three years to avoid a catastrophic 1.5-plus degree increase in global temperatures, according to the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

It will now become mandatory for all employers to provide sick pay to employees under new laws signed off by the Cabinet last week. The Sick Leave Bill 2022 will introduce a statutory sick pay scheme for all employees phased in over four years.

Fórsa has completed an operational review of the union’s progress in the three years since it was created in January 2018.

The professional body for human resource professionals has urged employers to consider whether their staff should continue working from home.