The school completion programme (SCP) marked 20 years of service to young people at risk of early school leaving last week. A Fórsa event to mark the anniversary was addressed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the education minister Norma Foley.

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.

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.

Fórsa has sought immediate discussions aimed at reaching agreement an agreed ‘blended work’ framework for the education sector. It comes after the union agreed a deal that gives all civil servants the right to apply for remote or blended working.

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.

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

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.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan and other union representatives joined Dublin-based P&O union representatives at a demonstration he weekend before last.