Fórsa and other public service unions are expecting contact from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told RTÉ that the Government was prepared to make an improved offer in pay talks.

The so-called Haddington Road hours - additional working time introduced in the public service in 2013 – are abolished with effect from next Friday (1st July), when thousands of civil and public servants will see their working time restored to pre-austerity levels.

Fórsa has backed the growing calls for domestic violence leave legislation. The union’s national secretary Ashley Connolly said the Covid-19 pandemic had exposed the need for a better response to victims of domestic violence.

Fórsa and other health unions have called on the health minister to follow through on his commitment that healthcare workers will continue to receive special leave with pay if they are suffering from long Covid. 

Union membership is becoming an increasingly female phenomenon, as there are now more women than men in trade unions. That’s according to the latest findings from the UCD Smurfit business school.

A new academic study has found that working at home is less likely to lead to work intensification in organisations where there’s a recognised trade union. The UCD report also said unions helped tackle increased stress and other health and wellbeing issues associated with remote work.

Fórsa’s Health and Welfare Divisional Executive Committee has published a strategic plan for 2022-2024. The paper outlines how the union will meet health service challenges and pursue better outcomes for workers across the sector.