Fórsa wrote to the HSE this week to begin preparations for the next phase of implementation of the Advanced Interim Report on HSCP Career Pathways.

Fórsa and other health unions have urged the HSE to prioritise healthcare workers for a booster vaccine, amid reports that a growing number of them are being infected with Covid-19. The unions have been assured by the HSE that there are currently no supply issues with vaccines.

Fórsa general secretary and ICTU president, Kevin Callinan, wrote in The Irish Times last week that Sláintecare is vital to the State and must be implemented. He said the healthcare programme represented “real grounds for optimism” for most health staff, who want to do their best for patients.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has called on world Governments to back labour rights as part of an industrial policy that supports a ‘just transition’ to a zero-emissions economy.

All basic grade health and social care professionals (HSCPs), who are members of Fórsa in professions included in the HSCP career pathway review, are invited to attend an online information session at 1.00pm on Tuesday 2nd November.

Fórsa has welcomed the Government’s decision to maintain its existing policy of a staggered and phased return to workplaces, instead of revising Covid-19 safety regulations to lift all restrictions on workplace attendance from the end of this week.

Unions affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) have signed up to six commitments aimed at promoting good mental health and supporting workers who experience mental ill health, including anxiety and depression.

New figures issued from the Revenue Commissions indicate that only 10% of people filed a tax return containing a remote working claim this year. 

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan has called for an expansion of employer PRSI contributions, taxes on wealth, and “meaningful financial deterrence for environmentally-damaging activities.”

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan was officially elected as president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) at its biennial delegate conference, which took place in Belfast earlier this week.