Discussions on sectoral bargaining for Fórsa members in the civil service will kick off shortly. 

The Department of Health has been told to pay a Fórsa member €40,000 for age discrimination after the union took the case to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

Following the launch of mobility for civil service AO and HEO grades, Fórsa has returned to Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) to seeking talks on the union’s claim for the scheme to be opened to service and professional and technical grades.

The new Family Leave Bill, which will extend paid parent’s leave from two to five weeks, is set to come into effect from next month. The period in which the leave can be taken will also increase from one year to two.

The Oireachtas Business Committee has decided against increasing Dáil activity while Level Five public health restrictions remain in place.

Over half of Irish businesses plan to allow remote working on a permanent basis into the future, while nearly three-quarters say productivity either increased or remained steady once remote working became the norm during the pandemic.

Spain is set to become the first country to trial a national test of a four-day working week, if a new bill comes into play. Earlier this year, the progressive Spanish party Más País revealed that the Government had accepted its proposal to trial the idea