Fórsa has criticised a recent Government announcement to improve parental leave provision as the “bare minimum,” which Ireland is obliged to introduce under European law.

Fórsa has pressed the Department of Education and Skills (DES) to provide clarity on the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) – like face visors and coverings, gloves and aprons – ahead of the proposed reopening of schools in late August.

Fórsa has welcomed the publication of guidance on re-opening higher education and further education campuses to staff and students for the start of the coming academic year.

Fórsa is insisting that flexitime be reinstated for civil and public servants who have returned to workplaces following the Covid-19 emergency and are now back on their normal hours and work patterns.

Fórsa has given a guarded welcome to yesterday’s announcement of the largest ever Government-funded stimulus package, which will see over €7 billion pumped into the economy – mostly in the short-term – through supports to businesses and incomes.

The international trade union federation Public Services International (PSI) has launched a new ‘manifesto’ in a bid to highlight the contribution of education support staff, and place them at the centre of a “new vision of schooling” in a post-pandemic world.

New official guidance has clarified that civil and public servants who return from non-essential overseas travel must take annual leave or unpaid leave to cover the subsequent quarantine period.