This year marks the first ever Fórsa SNA Appreciation Day, taking place on Thursday 26th September 2024. To celebrate SNA Appreciation Day, we are running a national competition for one lucky school in each province to win a €1,000 prize.

All members of the school community are eligible to enter the draw, staff and parents alike. 

Of course, because the aim of SNA Appreciation Day is to celebrate all the things SNAs do to make our schools special there is also a competition for SNAs.

SNA members of Fórsa are also eligible to be included in a separate €1,000 draw with one winner per province. Any SNAs not yet members of Fórsa are also eligible to enter the draw if they join Fórsa by the 20th of September.

We have produced a SNA Appreciation Day pack to help schools get as many entries as possible, and increase their chances of winning:

SNA Appreciation Day Poster
SNA Appreciation Day Flyer for parents
An SNA Leave Chart 

This competition would not be possible without the generous contributions from Dubco Credit Union and Cornmarket who have shown their eager support for SNAs with this event. 

The closing date for entries to both draws is 5pm on Monday 23rd of September 2024. Winners will be contacted by Wednesday 25th and a presentation will be made to the schools and member winners on SNA Appreciation Day.

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On Tuesday 10th September trade union activists and anti-racism campaigners descended upon the Gresham Hotel, Dublin, for ICTU’s Stronger Together: Anti-racist Workplaces & Trade Unions Conference.

The conference was held to report on the past year’s activity for the ICTU anti-racism project, as well as to discuss the challenges of tackling racism in the workplace. The day saw contributions from academics, trade unionists, and Joe O’Brien TD, Minster for state with responsibility for community development and charities.

Fórsa was well represented among contributors with Kevin Ward, member, Khalid El-Busaidy, membership officer, and Andy Pike, Head of Education Division participating in panels.

The tone for the day was set early in the opening speech by Owen Reidy. “The key issue that comes out of the report is as a movement, we have work to do” he said “we need the maturity and capacity to do better.”

The sentiment was later driven home by Andy Pike who opened by saying “I think we need to note what we’re not doing well.” He continued “We didn’t prepare sufficiently for the rise of the far-right. We were complacent, we let ourselves believe Ireland isn’t a racist country, not like the US and UK.

“We were slow to respond.”

Andy Pike, Head of Education Division 

The second panel consisted of migrant workers who have undertaken the ICTU anti-racism project’s Leadership Programme for Minority Ethnic and Migrant Workers. The panelists echoed Andy’s concerns about the rise of the far right.

Aakansha Surve, NUJ, lamented “the Ireland I lived in before the riots is very different to the one I live in now.” 

Kevin Ward warned against thinking racism in Ireland is about the far right and nothing else: “It’s the same challenges, nothing’s really changed. Embedded in attitudes to migrant workers” Kevin said “we always have to compete to be accepted.”

Khalid gave life to his panel-mate’s points with stories of his experiences living in Ireland. How he faced discrimination in the workplace because of his nationality, the love he had for the innocent curiosity of Irish people in the 1990s, and the terror of trying to make it home from Fórsa’s head office at Nerney’s Court, a stone’s throw from O’Connell Street, on the night of the riots.

From left to right: Dr. Lucy Michael, Aakansha Surve, Kevin Ward, Khalid El Busaidy

More than simply tackling the far right and fighting racism in the workplace, unions were called upon to support migrant workers and engage with migrant communities. 

Dr. Lucy Michael, Lucy Michael Research, Training and Consultancy, noted “Unions must be welcoming to support racism cases. It must be consistent; it must be enthusiastically sought out.”

She went on to describe how this would create a mutually beneficial relationship. She cited research which shows migrant workers helped by unions become enthusiastic contributors to unions.

Research also showed that unions are lacking expertise when it comes to discrimination cases on the grounds of race and/or nationality. Kate Turner, WRC, in her presentation shared the unsettling figure that last year 18.6% of employment case were on grounds of race, the majority of which were unsuccessful.

ICTU’s anti-racism project will continue into a second year. Dr David Carroll, project coordinator, noted that the large number of requests to host trainings are “symptomatic of the hunger to address these issues.” In the second year the project will expand to include a Training the Trainers course as well as providing and online and over the phone anti-racism clinic advice line.

There were several need-to-know pieces of information which came out of the afternoon:

• Discrimination cases are taken to the Workplace Relations Commission. This is all discrimination cases, including cases of refusal of service, not just employment cases.
• Active bystander is protected by equality legislation, meaning a coworker who intervenes in workplace discrimination is protected by law from facing punitive measures from the employer.
• Discrimination cases must be lodged within six months of the incident happening, this time limit does not count for equal pay claims. 

ICTU’s anti-racism toolkit can be accessed here.

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The closing date for registrations for the United for Dave: Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association fundraiser cycle is fast approaching. If you’d like to take part, you should send your details to Linda Casey (lcasey@forsa.ie) on or before Monday 23rd September.

Our former colleague, Dave Hughes, is currently living with Motor Neurone Disease. With Dave’s blessing, some of his former Fórsa colleagues are organising a 100km sponsored cycle to raise funds for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, which has given its approval to this initiative. 

Dave is a well-known and popular figure in the trade union movement and beyond. He recently retired as deputy general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and previously worked for IMPACT, the CPSU, and the Irish Transport and General Workers Union. He has worked tirelessly for members over many years, and he is a popular and respected figure across the entire trade union movement and beyond. 

The event takes place from 9.00am on Saturday 28th September, setting off from the INMO headquarters in Dublin 7. The route is a 100km loop into Co. Meath and back, returning through Dave’s home turf of Clonsilla. 

If the 100km seems a bit daunting, remember it’s not a race and you can cycle as much or as little as you like.

If cycling isn’t for you, you can still show solidarity and support the fundraising effort. Simply donate what you can, as an individual or an organisation, through this link here. All donations are processed securely, and all funds go directly to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

You can find more information on the cycle here.

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We have some very exciting training opportunities coming up over the next month. Kicking off with a Lunch & Learn on the (often misunderstood) topic of local bargaining and continuing with the new Communications and Digital Skills for Branches training, and the ever popular Fórsa Induction.

Lunch & Learn – Public Service pay determination and the Local Bargaining clause with Fórsa General Secretary Kevin Callinan - Online – 1-2pm 27th September 

Live Lunch & Learn is our Skills Academy’s monthly online offering to members. These hour-long sessions take place from 1-2pm on the last Friday of every month. Lunch & Learn sessions provide information on a wide variety of different topics of interest to Fórsa members.

We have a very special Lunch & Learn this month. Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan will join the Skills Academy team to explain the local bargaining aspect of the current public service pay agreement. In his capacity as chair of the Public Sector Committee of ICTU, Kevin is ideally placed to guide you through the process, and intended outcomes, of the local bargaining element of the new pay deal. 

In addition to answering members questions, Kevin will outline how the absence of local or grade bargaining from public service pay determination has caused difficulties.

This session is designed to provide invaluable information on a topic of huge significance to all our members and an opportunity to have your questions answered directly, and is not to be missed.

Register here 

Communications and Digital Skills for Branches – Cork & Galway - October

Coming up in October will be the last chance to avail of the brand-new Communications and Digital Skills for Branches course until next year.

An exciting course designed for branch officers who regularly communicate with union members, have a basic level of understanding of social media, and the ambition to improve their branch’s communications.

Training is delivered by Hannah Deasy, Director of Communications, and Kate O'Sullivan, Director of Digital. Each will bring their individual expertise to bear. Attendees can expect to learn on the effective use of email and other types of communication with union members, and how to gather stories and create content for social media.

Dates:
Tuesday 8th October in the Cork Office, Father Matthew Quay, Cork, T12 EWVO
Register here

Tuesday 15th October in the Fórsa Galway Office, Unit 23-24, Sean Mulvoy Business Park, Sean Mulvoy Road, Galway, H91 HT27
Register here

Fórsa Induction – Online - Wednesday, 9th October 2024

A session designed with new members in mind, but also quite useful for more long-time members interested in getting involved with union organising. The session will give attendees a firm understanding of the basics of the union as well as how to become more engaged with union work locally.

The session provides very basic information to ensure our members understand exactly what a trade union is, the structure of Fórsa and how we do our business, along with discussing how members can become more engaged and have their voice heard locally and their issues raised at divisional and national levels.

There are two sessions available, one in the morning at 09:30 and another in the evening at 18:00 on Wednesday, 9th October 2024. The sessions will be between 2 to 2 1/2 hours long and online.

Register here

If you have queries about the Skills Academy please contact Judith at 021 4255221 or by email to skillsacademy@forsa.ie.

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Fórsa has sought a second WRC hearing, following an engagement on 10th July last, over Galway City Council’s proposed relocation of its public offices. The planned relocation would affect around 150 indoor staff who are members of Fórsa. 

The council’s purchase of a new building at Crown Square has proved controversial, with local media reports focusing on the speed of the decision to purchase the new premises in 2022, at an estimated total cost of €56 million. 

Councillors were given just three days to make a decision on receipt of a recommendation they approve a loan to purchase the new building. It’s widely reported that there was no public consultation in relation to the move, and Fórsa has opposed the relocation due to the absence of any consultation with staff.

Fórsa official Padraig Mulligan says this is a breach of legislation underpinning the current public service pay agreement: “The lack of any consultation is a breach of legislation, that’s why we referred it to the WRC.

“We had a hearing in July and have now sought an urgent intervention by the WRC on the basis that the union has several outstanding issues we need to pursue.

“Management has provided an initial response to a series of questions tabled by the union, but the answers are far from satisfactory,” he said.

Padraig said members have raised issues of accessibility, public transport links and the loss of a civic presence in Galway city centre. The submission to the WRC covered a range of issues. In addition to the absence of consultation, Fórsa raised environmental concerns in addition to public access and engagement.

 
He added: “The circumstances around the approval, purchase and decision to move premises raises a lot of questions, not the least of these is issues of governance. Our members at the council are taking a strong position on this, the lack of staff consultation is completely unacceptable.

“Relocating the offices will effectively put the council’s services out of reach for many service users, as public transport links are totally inadequate.

“The council’s presence in the city centre is a sustainable and important feature of the services offered by the council. The move to Crown Square isn’t adding value to those services, it’s undermining them,” he said.

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On 23rd November 2023, a five year-old girl and a 30 year-old care assistant were stabbed outside Coláiste Mhuire, on Parnell Square, Dublin. Elements of the far right seized upon the incident to incite a riot which would result in massive property damage, looting, the firebombing of a refugee centre, and the torching of three Dublin Buses and a Luas amongst other vehicles. It let to the arrest of 49 rioters.

From 10pm that night, Dublin City Council’s waste management section brought in every last worker to clear the damage. Workers arrived at O’Connell Street to find a street destroyed, covered in glass, detritus, and the burned-out wreckage of cars, buses, and trams.

Dublin Riots 2023

 
Dublin City Council extended its thanks to waste management staff in an informal ceremony and awarded medals workers in recognition of having gone above and beyond the call of duty, clearing and cleaning the city centre in the aftermath of the November riots. 

Mick Kieran, Municipal Division DEC member and DCC waste management worker, said “It’s not the first riot we’ve cleaned up, there were the ‘Love Ulster’ riots in 2006, but I haven’t seen something like that since the riots after Bobby Sands died in 1981.”

Battle of Merrion Road 1981

Crews worked throughout the night, with workers joining as their shifts began right through to the following morning. Dublin City Council deployed its full arsenal of equipment to the task with rarely seen heavy vehicles such as grab trucks making an appearance.

As the day after began, there was little left to suggest the previous night’s violence, save for some stubborn burn marks and a few boarded up shop fronts.

Dublin Riots aftermath

Despite the impressive job done by him and his colleagues, Mick Kieran sees it as another day’s work. He said “It’s just a medal, it’s not about the medal. It was a job, we got stuck in and did the work, just like we always do. It can often be a thankless job. It’s nice to be recognised.

“I think as people we are bad at recognising when we do something good. So, when we get that recognition it’s really something.”

Maura Cahalan, AGS responsible for the Municipal Employees Division, said “we’re proud of our waste management workers. It’s a hard-physical job that often goes unnoticed until there is an issue. The clean up after the riots just shows how hard they work for the city. I’m glad Dublin City Council acknowledged our members work and gave them the recognition they deserve.“

Mick will be known to anyone who has seen Fórsa’s “It’s your, union your power” video. His contribution of “while the city slept after the riots, we were the ones that cleaned it up” received rapturous applause and cheers when the video was premiered at this year’s Fórsa conference.

Ever humble, Mick said of the applause “I wasn’t expecting it. The job we do, everyone thinks it’s a mediocre job, for people who didn’t do well in school, but it’s really important. Without us what would the city look like?“

Adam O’Maolagain, IRO for the Municipal Employees Division says “our members are back at work doing the job as always. So next time you find yourself in Dublin take a moment to be grateful for their hard work.”

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Fórsa and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) resumed conciliation talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) this week (Monday 16th), in a further engagement on the implementation of a job evaluation scheme in the local authority sector. 

The WRC subsequently issued a statement to confirm that the parties have agreed to re-engage “to progress the scoping exercise on options for a job evaluation arrangement in the local authority sector,” in line with the terms of the current public service agreement.

A further date for conciliation is confirmed for Tuesday 10th December, while the WRC noted “that the parties agree on the necessity for an intensive period of examination and review into schemes that exist in local government sectors outside of the jurisdiction” and that each has committed to jointly review job evaluation schemes in operation in local authorities in the North of Ireland over the next ten weeks, following on from a June agreement to research existing schemes. 

Fórsa’s head of Local Government Richy Carrothers commented: “The local government sector needs to work in good faith and collaboratively with Fórsa over the coming months. Close to 10,000 jobs were lost from the sector following the financial crisis in 2008, and services were only maintained because local authority workers countrywide took on additional responsibilities above their pay grades. 

“The latest public service agreement has made provisions for re-engagement to progress this matter further. We are focussed on the delivery of a job evaluation scheme in the local government sector. Our members have spoken clearly about their demand for such a scheme and it is in the collective interest of workers that this occurs, particularly against a backdrop of a recruitment and retention crisis across local authorities,” he said.

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Fórsa has tabled its concerns to local authority management about proposed legislation, announced in July, to eliminate the paper tax discs currently issued in receipt of motor tax payment. 

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan brought the proposal to Cabinet in July, arguing that paper tax discs are no longer practical. Under existing legislation, the tax information would be readily available to Gardaí online, through the car’s registration plate.

Fórsa said there’s been no engagement with staff about the proposals, with the unilateral announcement by Government taking everyone by surprise. 

The union’s head of Local Government Richy Carrothers said the union is now calling on the government to “proceed carefully” and to evidence any research or information to support the decision. 

He added: “Fórsa has tabled its concerns to the management of the local government sector, and we’ve sought further information. In the rush to progress this issue for the sake of convenience, we need to guard against unintended consequences. 

“If traffic Gardaí are relying on online motor tax information, what measures can they take in the event of system or device failure? The paper disc is not a costly measure, but it does provide ‘at-a-glance’ information which useful to Gardaí,” he said.

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The Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has commenced consultation with Fórsa and the other unions about a workforce planning process. It is the first workforce planning process to get underway in more than a decade, and follows 18 months of intensive efforts by Fórsa to engage employers on the issue.

Workforce planning is critical to ensuring that the local authority sector is in a position to deliver critical services that communities rely on as the State’s population continues to grow. 

Fórsa’s head of Local Government Rich Carrothers said: “It’s welcome that the department has commenced consultation about a workforce planning process. We also must take the opportunity to future-proof the sector, and to ensuring it remains agile and responsive to our growing population in an ever-changing world,” he said. 

He added that local authority staff must be treated as key stakeholders in any workforce planning process, and that this must be underpinned by fairness, openness and transparency. He added: “Fórsa will ensure that any workforce planning process is meaningful, rigorous and delivers for workers and communities.”

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The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has written to An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, on behalf of thousands of workers in the aviation sector, requesting an urgent review of the current passenger cap at Dublin Airport.

The cap was set at 32m passengers per year as a condition of the planning permission - awarded by Fingal County Council in 2007- for the construction of Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2. 

In a letter to An Taoiseach, ICTU general secretary Owen Reidy acknowledged the imposition of the cap in relation to “significant infrastructural deficits that existed at the time, particularly as regards access to Dublin Airport by car and public transport,” but warned that “wider policy objectives…are being impacted by the current restriction on passenger numbers.”

At the end of August, Dublin Airport passenger numbers are trending 5.5% ahead of 2023, and this trend is forecast to continue into September, according to the DAA, which means the current passenger cap is likely to be breached this year.

Higher passenger volumes have made the cap a hotter political topic this year, with several aviation stakeholders and business representatives actively lobbying for the cap to be lifted. 

The Government’s National Aviation Policy, Fingal Development Plan and Dublin Airport Local Area Plan all assume passenger growth for the Airport.  On this basis, Owen said, urgent action is required to address the passenger cap from a planning, policy and economic perspective. 

In his correspondence Owen said some airlines, and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), have warned that if the cap is maintained at its current level it will result in the loss of hundreds of jobs in the aviation sector. He added that some airlines, who had planned to begin services to and from Dublin from next year, have postponed or cancelled their plans. 

He said ICTU is “seriously concerned” about the potential loss of jobs in the sector, and in related sectors such as hospitality. 

He said passengers transiting and transferring through Dublin Airport continue to be counted as part of determining the annual passenger figure: “Given the fact that these passengers do not actually leave Dublin Airport, it would seem to us that urgent consideration needs to be given to the appropriateness of this aspect of the passenger cap.”

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The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has announced that it will hire an additional 70 permanent driver testers following a year-long campaign by Fórsa. The new posts will help to reduce waiting times for a driving test.

The campaign involved political lobbying, negotiations, a presentation to an Oireachtas Committee and a petition to Transport Minister Eamonn Ryan which was signed by 150 driver testers. 

Fórsa Assistant General Secretary Ruairí Creaney welcomed the announcement, describing it as the “result of months of commitment and hard work by Fórsa activists. 

“For too long, the RSA relied on hiring staff on insecure temporary contracts to deliver this important service. This had a significantly negative impact on both the driver test waiting times and industrial relations, not to mention the anxiety of our members experiencing precarious employment.

“Today we’re one step closer to ensuring that all workers in the RSA enjoy the security of a permanent contract of employment. 

“I want to congratulate the activists of the RSA Professional branch for this victory and recognise their commitment to improving their colleagues’ working conditions,” he said.

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