Paid-up Fórsa members working in the civil and public service, and in non-commercial State agencies, have now received an email with a ‘unique voter code,’ which enables them to cast their vote in the ballot on a proposed new public service agreement.

Fórsa has won important concessions on CORU fees and twilight payments, which will come into play if the new public service agreement, Building Momentum, is accepted in union ballots.

HSE management has temporarily waived the requirement for essential healthcare staff to take their annual leave within the current leave year. 

The HSE has agreed to recruit a significant number of administrative staff to assist in the roll-out of vaccinations to the public. The move came after Fórsa proposed setting aside normal recruitment procedures to ensure that enough staff are in place to quickly address the challenge of mass vaccination.

The HSE has directed its managers to require staff to work at home during the Level Five Covid-19 restrictions, unless they are frontline workers whose physical presence is required in the workplace.

Fórsa has called for engagement with unions on an official target that 20% of public service operations should be done remotely. 

A worrying 47% of Irish workplaces were found to be in breach of Covid-19 guidelines following Health and Safety Authority (HSA) safety inspections since last May.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin this week confirmed that the high number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations means that schools will not be able to open fully before Saint Patrick’s Day.