Fórsa’s Roscommon branch got a sustained standing ovation at last week’s national conference for its fight against council management’s effective ban on flexitime in the county.

It is now over a year since any Roscommon council worker was approved for flexitime, which is in place in every other local authority.

In a passionate speech, official Padraig Mulligan invited the Roscommon delegation – which included two members at their first ever union conference – to stand up and look at the hall, where 700 delegates took to their feet in a noisy show of solidarity.

Fórsa national secretary Peter Nolan said the branch had the full support of conference – and the union’s executive and members – in their struggle.

Workplace Relations Commission-brokered talks on the issue have been protracted and difficult, despite the existence of a Labour Court recommendation that broadly supports the union position.