Fórsa negotiators have had a preliminary meeting with representatives of council employers to discuss the sectoral bargaining clause of the new public service agreement. 

The new Family Leave Bill, which will extend paid parent’s leave from two to five weeks, is set to come into effect from next month. The period in which the leave can be taken will also increase from one year to two.

The vital role of council workers in Ireland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the future of water services, will be among the issues discussed at the annual general meeting of Fórsa’s Municipal Employees’ division, which takes place on a virtual basis at 6.00pm on Thursday 15th April.

Fórsa’s Local Government and Local Services Division wants action to ensure that staff in the same grade are paid equally, regardless of what council they work for.

The non-professional library officers’ vocational group annual general meeting takes place at 1.00pm on 21st April next. The meeting will be held online.

State bodies are being encouraged to ramp up the numbers of apprenticeships in civil service departments, local authorities, and other State agencies in an ambitious plan to increase apprenticeship registrations from 6,500 to 10,000 by 2025.

Fórsa members who were unable to attend our retirement planning webinar last Wednesday (24^th March) can still watch the session.