Tomorrow, Saturday 5th October, a national demonstration of solidarity with Palestine will take place in Dublin. This demonstration will mark a full year of atrocities and humanitarian crisis being subjected upon the people of Palestine.
For a year Fórsa has stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Week after week our members have marched demanding ceasefire and respect for the human rights of Palestinians. We welcomed Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestine’s Ambassador to Ireland, to our national conference, and we have donated over €135,000 to UNICEF’s Gaza appeal.
Tomorrow we will march again to demand peace and security for Palestine and all peoples of the region.
Members are encouraged to march together as part of the trade union bloc, which will meet outside the Mandate office from 12.45pm. The demonstration is set to start at the Garden of Remembrance and march to the Dáil. Flags and banners will be available from the Fórsa offices at Nerney’s Court form midday on Saturday.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming demonstration Fórsa head of campaigns Grace Williams said: “A full year of genocide has playing out in front of our eyes, and the situation is only getting worse.
“We need action. We need sanctions. We need effective leadership and the international community must actively build pressure to stop the violence.”
For members who cannot make it to Dublin there are solidarity events taking place all week around the country. More information is available here.
Third increase under the agreement takes affect this week.
Public service pay scales are currently being amended to reflect an increase of 1% of gross pay, or €500, whichever is the greater, effective from 1st October.
The pay adjustment was due under the existing terms of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, negotiated by unions earlier this year and overwhelmingly accepted in a ballot of Fórsa members in March.
The agreement covers the period from 1st January 2024 to 30th June 2026 and makes provisions for pay improvements worth 9.25% – with a further 1% available for local bargaining – for public sector workers. The October adjustment marks the third increase this year, totalling a 4.25% increase to date.
Pay scales for Fórsa members are currently being updated on the union’s website, reflecting the final pay adjustment under the agreement, and can be viewed here.
The closing date for applications to the 'Jerry King Gaeltacht Scholarship Scheme for children of Fórsa members' for 2025 is fast approaching. Don’t miss your chance to avail of financial assistance in sending your child to Gaeltacht courses.
Applications are open for children of Fórsa members, who are aged between 11 years and 18 years on 1st July 2025. Children who received a grant last year will not be eligible to receive a grant again this year. This is to ensure as many children as possible benefit from the scheme.
The scheme will provide 80 grants of €150 each to assist children of Fórsa members attending residential Irish language courses in Gaeltacht areas next summer. While a further 40 grants of €70 are will be provided to assist children to attend day-only Irish language courses held outside Gaeltacht areas.
If you wish to apply you can download the application form here.
Applications must be returned by 5pm Friday October 18th, 2024. Forms can be submitted by email to gaeltacht@forsa.ie, or by post to Fórsa Head Office to the following address:
The Skills Academy has been very busy preparing offerings for members this month. Upcoming courses include Workplace Representative trainings, the last chance to take Communications and Digital skills for Branches in 2024, and a brand-new course on developing positive and sustainable industrial relations locally and with the WRC.
Lunch & Learn - The role of the workplace representative in building effective industrial relations locally – Online - October 25th
Lunch & Learn is our Skills Academy’s monthly online offering to members. These hour-long sessions take place from 1-2pm on the last Friday of every month. Lunch & Learn sessions provide information on a wide variety of different topics of interest to Fórsa members.
In this month’s Lunch and Learn Brendan Cunningham, former Regional Manager with the WRC, will join us. Brendan will talk about the importance of the workplace representative, their role, and responsibilities in building sustainable working relationships and the links between local engagement and the WRC.
This session also serves as the introduction to a new workshop which Brendan will deliver. The first session is scheduled to be delivered on November 6th in Nerney’s Court.
Last month’s Lunch and Learn is now available to be viewed online. If you missed General Secretary Kevin Callinan explaining pay determination in the public sector and the local bargaining clause you can catch up on the Skills Academy YouTube channel.
Developing a deeper understanding of the link between local Industrial relations and third-party mechanisms – Dublin – November 6th
A new workshop aimed at workplace and branch reps who have regular engagement with local management. This one-day course will teach reps how to develop and maintain positive and sustainable relationships between local engagement and the WRC. The first session has already been filled. New dates will be released soon.
This course is only open to members in a workplace representative or branch executive officer role who regularly engage with local management.
Communications and Digital skills for Branches - Galway - 15th October
Only a few places remain in the last session of Communications and Digital Skills for Branches for this year. The course is designed for branch officers who regularly communicate with union members, have a basic level of understanding of social media, and the ambition to improve their branch’s communications.
Training is delivered by Hannah Deasy, Director of Communications, and Kate O'Sullivan, Director of Digital. Attendees can expect to learn on the effective use of email and other types of communication with union members, and how to gather stories and create content for social media.
Level 1 is a 3-day course for new workplace representatives, who have undertaken the Fórsa Induction session, and have little to no representative experience or training.
This course teaches participants communications skills and representative knowledge to effectively undertake the role of workplace representative and create strong teams to improve local participation to strengthen influence and achieve better outcomes.
Fórsa members in Cork and Dublin began a series of national lunchtime protests yesterday, standing alongside INMO and SIPTU colleagues. The protests took place outside Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the HSE headquarters at Dr. Steevens Hospital in Dublin.
Fórsa members in Cork and Dublin began a series of national lunchtime protests yesterday, standing alongside INMO and SIPTU colleagues. The protests took place outside Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the HSE headquarters at Dr. Steevens Hospital in Dublin.
Holding placards which tell of the huge impact the ongoing staffing crisis is having, members spoke of the stress and pressure they face when trying to do the jobs of several people.
The quotes featured on the placards are taken directly from responses to the survey carried out in August, when Fórsa consulted members to better understand the real impact of the HSE’s decision to cut funded roles. Almost 4,000 members of Fórsa’s Health & Welfare division took part in the survey.
The results paint a stark picture of the strain workers are under. 88% of those who took part in the survey said there is a vacancy in their department. 73% said this was having a “very negative impact” on staff and 74% said the vacancies were having a “very negative impact” on services.
Members told of the “immense stress” they were experiencing, with some calling out the “huge risk to patient safety” and serious impact on morale and well-being.
One heartbreaking response spoke about the serious repercussions of unfilled posts on patients, saying : “The numbers we are dealing with are so huge it is a mockery to call it a waiting list because children are becoming adults while they wait.”
Another said: “We are short staffed, and my waiting lists are growing due to not having a nurse to assist me. I’m worn out and stressed trying to keep up with extra duties, filling in for vacant staff members.”
Members at yesterday’s protests painted a similar picture. Ciara Dawson, a senior occupational therapist working in mental health services who joined the protest in Dublin said: “Usually I’m eating my lunch at my desk because I just have to stay on top of work and on top of seeing patients, I can’t let them down. There is money coming into the HSE but it’s not making it down to the front line, where it really is needed. You see initiatives being put together but they’re so out of touch with the fire-fighting we’re doing front line.”
Ciara was joined by her colleague Leighton Thomas, also a mental health occupational therapist.
Leighton told of the day-to-day reality of trying to deliver a quality service with "skeletal staff" and rising waiting lists. He said: “We have unfilled vacancies that we’ve had for several years. Now the embargo has been lifted, so they say, but all vacant posts have evaporated, they’ve gone.”
“We’re stuck in a loop of trying to provide services, running ourselves ragged in the process and really not achieving what we’re setting out to achieve, which is quality patient care. At the end of the day the service users are the ones that are suffering. There’s not enough therapists, not enough social workers, not enough psychologists, not enough occupational therapists to actually cover what the government wants us to cover.”
Shelly Collins, a speech and language therapist for the past 14 years, was protesting outside Cork University Hospital. She said “We can’t give the best service because our staffing has reduced by 50% but our referral rate is up 10%. Morale is quite low because we’re not able to give our best to patients.”
Her colleague Sheila Robinson said : “In our department we’ve lost almost 50% of staff in the past year. Maternity leave isn’t being filled; vacant posts aren’t being filled. We can’t provide 100% of the service with 50% of the people. I want the posts that have been frozen to be restored and lift the embargo. There’s a perception in the public that the embargo has been lifted, and that’s not the case. We’re walking in the door every day with only half of our team here and still trying to cover the same amount of patient care, if not more. I agree with being efficient, but you need the people to provide the services.”
Further protests will take place in the weeks ahead at the following locations:
9th October St Luke's Kilkenny and Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown
10th October Our Lady of Lourdes, Louth and Tullamore Regional Hospital
16th October Cavan General Hospital and Sligo University Hospital
17th October Naas General Hospital and Mayo University Hospital
All protests are lunchtime protests taking place between 12.30pm and 1.15pm. To take part contact your local branch or official. Meeting points and contact persons will be circulated to members in advance.
Fórsa national secretaries Ashley Connolly and Linda Kelly urged members to attend protests saying: “We need to show the HSE that our members are saying enough is enough. Your presence at these protests is vital as the more members we have, the louder our voice will be.”
Fórsa is to begin balloting for industrial action among its members in the Health Service Executive. The HSE’s pay and numbers strategy has left vacancies in workplace causing overworking of staff and reduced quality of service.
Fórsa, which represents more than 30,000 workers in Ireland’s health services, is to commence a ballot for industrial action among its members in the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The ballot and protests are being organised in response to the ongoing dispute between unions and the HSE and Department of Health, specifically in relation to the thousands of unfilled posts the HSE has effectively scrapped.
Members of the union commenced a series of lunchtime protests yesterday, while ballot preparations are now underway. The ballot will commence on Monday 14th October.
The publication of the HSE’s pay and numbers strategy in July revealed that thousands of frontline positions had been suppressed, affecting community and acute health services, mental health and services to older people.
The union says current pressures on services are set to get worse as demand rises in the months ahead, while existing staff are forced to cope with an insufficient complement of staff in most departments.
Ashley Connolly, head of Fórsa’s Health & Welfare division, said continuing employment restrictions in the health sector is putting patient services under enormous strain: “Health workers are determined to take a stand, because they experience, first-hand, the negative effect it’s having on waiting times.
“While the HSE may maintain that the number of employees across the organisation has never been higher, the reality is that, against the backdrop of increased services and higher demands from an ageing demographic with more complex needs, the HSE remains under-resourced.
“The HSE has entered a process of chaotic downsizing, with arbitrary decisions being made regarding the non-filling of critical frontline positions. Our members' ability to deliver safe services has now been severely compromised,” she said.
A recent Fórsa survey of its members working in health services attracted almost 4,000 responses, evenly divided between clerical/administrative staff and health and social care professionals (HSCPs), with 88% of respondents confirming vacancies in their departments since December 2023.
A further 42% (1,538) of respondents confirmed that the number of vacancies in their departments had increased since December 2023.
Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly said health staff responses revealed a demoralised workforce, coping with the additional pressures of vacant posts in their departments, but acutely aware of how it is affecting waiting times and service delivery.
She added: “Dysfunctional spending patterns continue to be a problem for the HSE, which is diverting funds to expensive agency and overtime costs, in addition to the profligate spending on external management consultants. This avoidable and wasteful spending does nothing for patient services.
“Our members are protesting and balloting for action because they are fighting to protect services, fighting to improve them, and determined that the HSE and Department of Health will listen,” she said.
Consultation will soon begin with members in Sections 39, 56, 40 and 10. Negotiations to secure pay parity with workers in similar positions directly employed by the state ended without agreement.
After weeks of negotiations which ended without agreement, unions are to begin consultation with members in Section 39 (health and disability services), Section 56 (services to children), Section 40 (DV/DVA services) and Section 10 (homeless and addiction services) in relation to seeking pay parity with workers in similar positions employed directly by the state.
Last October a planned strike by community healthcare and social care workers was put on hold after late-night negotiations secured an eight per cent pay offer. Staff in these organisations are paid far less than their counterparts doing equivalent work in the HSE. The link to public service pay for the majority of our members working in the community and voluntary sector was broken in 2009 following the financial crash.
The agreement included a commitment to reengage when a successor to the Building Momentum agreement was reached.
Following the ratification of the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026 negotiations began and have continued over the past months. However, the Department of Health and the Department of Children, the funding departments, are resisting matching the pay terms of the latest public sector pay deal.
In a joint letter to members ICTU, Fórsa, the INMO, and SIPTU outlined the reasons talks had ended without agreement, which include refusal by the funding departments to make reasonable pay offers for community and voluntary sector workers, as well as their refusal to confirm that terms of any new agreement would be applied to all union members.
“We are now facing a situation where the funding departments are refusing to fully honour terms of the October 2023 agreement. In addition, they are proposing to place conditions on any new agreement that would make it impossible for unions ad their members to accept.”
Fórsa’s head of health and welfare, Ashley Connolly, said “It’s incredibly disappointing that we have ended up back in this situation. Last year our members made it clear to government that their work deserved respect and fair pay.”
“We must consult with members across the community and voluntary sector to agree the next steps in this long and difficult campaign for fair pay”.
Fórsa accuses government politically motivated decisions ahead of election as redeployment of existing CDNT staff to pilot programme threatens already overstretched services
In August of this year the government announced that 16 special schools would be part of a pilot programme to increase the provision of therapeutic services for children with disabilities on-site in schools.
Six schools, four in Cork and two in Dublin, were announced as the initial sites for the pilot, with more due to be announced in October.
In September it became clear that there has been no additional recruitment of CDNT staff to provide services in the pilot. Instead, the HSE proposed redeploying existing CDNT staff to provide the in-school therapies.
This further escalates the existing staffing crisis among children’s disability network teams (CDNT).
A HSE workforce review last year found that there was an average vacancy rate of 36% across the children’s disability network teams (CDNT) around the country.
In a meeting with the HSE last week, Fórsa made clear that recruitment for the pilot programme needed to take place before implementation of the programme begins, to avoid negative impact on the already over-stretched children's disability teams.
While the HSE agreed at the meeting to review their proposed approach, within 24 hours they confirmed that they intended to proceed as outlined in the meeting by redeploying current CDNT staff.
Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly has responded, saying: “It appears that this pilot is a politically motivated priority ahead of an election rather than any meaningful attempt to provide much-needed services to children and families”.
“The suggestion that existing staff could fulfil the services is tantamount to robbing Peter to pay Paul. We know that staff working in children’s disability services are under huge pressure, and now it’s being suggested that they should have additional work. Such a move would have a negative impact in the services they provide and on staff themselves.”
“Given the strong views of our members on this issue and in order to protect the current CDNT service provision, Fórsa will not agree to the redeployment or reassignment of any current CDNT staff member to the proposed pilot,” she said.
CDNT members working on teams involved in the proposed pilot have received correspondence setting out the Union instruction regarding redeployment. If any member requires support, they should contact their local Fórsa Official Sarah O’Leary (Cork) or Eoghan Ryan (Dublin).
ICTU described this week’s Budget 2025 as “fiscally irresponsible” saying that corporation tax receipts are being used to fuel a pre-election giveaway in a return to “reckless, pre-crash budgetary strategies.”
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has described this week’s Budget 2025 announcement as “fiscally irresponsible” and said that corporation tax receipts are being used to fuel a pre-election giveaway in a return to “reckless, pre-crash budgetary strategies.”
In a statement ICTU said the Government’s approach to this year’s budget risks placing a future tax burden on younger workers, while undermining Ireland’s capacity to improve future public services.
ICTU said measures designed to stimulate housing with a range of tax breaks seemed “particularly perverse as it will simply push house prices even higher,” while “throwing money from tax cuts into an economy at full capacity will simply raise prices and ultimately erode the gains from the tax cuts.”
In a Budget response broadcast on Newstalk radio on Tuesday, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan joined ICTU in welcoming the increase in the minimum wage, marking further progress toward the Government’s commitment to introduce the National Living wage (60% of hourly median wages) by January 2026.
Kevin also welcomed confirmation that pension auto-enrolment would commence in September next year, after prolonged uncertainty, and said the minimum wage increase and pension auto-enrolment are important improvements, especially for younger workers.
He added that health services continue to struggle due to suppressed posts in health services, and that major infrastructure challenges remain. He said the budget focused largely on short- and medium-term gains, and that this was to be expected in anticipation of a general election.
He also backed ICTU’s call for collective bargaining measures, as required by the full implementation of the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive.
ICTU general secretary Owen Reidy said that while additional infrastructure spending was welcome, it remained unclear if the Government has a strategy to encourage the supply of needed construction workers: “There will need to be much greater emphasis on funding for apprenticeships as well as better terms and conditions in the sector if we are to solve the housing crisis,” he said.
The Fórsa Youth AGM will take place on Friday 18th October in the union’s headquarters. Members under age 35 are invited to get more involved in the union.
The Fórsa Youth Annual General Meeting (AGM) is set to take place on Friday 18th October in the union’s Nerney’s Court office in Dublin from 10.30am to 3.00pm, and we’re encouraging all young members to get involved.
The AGM will be open to members, under the age of 35, who have been nominated by their branch. Each branch may nominate a maximum of one voting youth representative under the age of 35 to attend meetings of the National Youth Network, and branches may send additional non-voting representatives to meetings.
The Fórsa Youth Network aims to strengthen and empower younger members by providing an open, equal and respectful space for young members to discuss matters relevant to them, while respecting the contributions of every member.
A steering committee will be elected at the AGM and will be charged with the orderly running of all Network activities. More information on the Network can be found here.
If your branch does not have a youth representative, the branch chairperson or secretary can put forward a nomination by emailing their name and details to youthcommittee@forsa.ie.
For further information, or if you would like to get involved, contact youthcommittee@forsa.ie for more details.
Although there were many furrowed brows when Fórsa decided to join the exhibitors at the Ploughing Championships this year, it proved a great success.
The usual muck and wellies at Ratheniska were swapped for ice creams and sun lotion as the late summer sun bathed the hills of Laois. Fórsa, Ireland’s second-largest trade union and the largest representing public service workers, was among the 1,700 exhibitors at this year’s National Ploughing Championships. This marked Fórsa’s first time ever exhibiting at the event, which drew nearly a quarter of a million visitors.
Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said: “So many in the agricultural sector are in employment, either full-time or part-time. We need to support those workers. We're here to brief our own members. 2% of the Irish population are members of Fórsa, and we're also here to support our members who are working at the ploughing.”
Khalid El Busaidy from Fórsa’s membership team, who had been busy preparing for the event, shared his excitement about engaging with members of the farming community:
“Being here is a way of increasing our visibility in the farming community that might have people working in various government departments, especially the Department of Agriculture.
Khalid added “It’s a way of connecting with members and making sure that they can see our visibility and also pass on the message to us. Fórsa trade union is here, and we represent their community, and, you know, their family members—many of them would be working in sectors that we represent.”
Speaking at the event Fórsa president Martin Walsh noted the importance of the union’s membership benefits saying: “We have a substantial range of benefits for our membership. We have in-service critical injury cover. We have access to cheaper car and children's health insurance and other benefits like travel and health insurance. There are many, many benefits to being in a trade union."
Fórsa senior vice president Julie Flood cracked a pun that adorned the walls of the Fórsa stand:
“We can’t protect you from the muck, but we can protect you from your boss. You're never alone when you're in a union, especially if you're with Fórsa. Fórsa always has your back. We ensure certainty, parity, accuracy, and fairness for our workers in the workplace. So we have your back. We're always there with you.”
Julie also shared her own personal journey of empowerment through the union:
“But apart from all of that, one of the biggest benefits for me from becoming an activist in Fórsa trade union was it has brought me along so much in my life personally and in my work life.
They've offered me training programs. I became part of a big family that has nurtured me to be the person that I am. I no longer fear speaking out in the workplace. I actually feel that I have a very important role in the workplace and that I need to speak out because not everyone is able to.”
Flood offered encouragement to new and prospective Fórsa members:
“My advice will always be never be afraid to stick your toe in the water. You can put your toe in, or you can stick your whole leg in. For me, I started off with very small tasks, and I loved what I saw. I loved the benefits, I loved the wins, I loved how it actually helped people, and that really empowered me to take a step further where you don't have to go."
Fórsa’s treasurer Micheal Smith spoke about the power of collective union action:
“Union membership is about more than just individual issues. Although individual issues, of course, are dealt with, it's also about the collective, such as national pay agreements and local bargaining with employers in a particular workplace, where everybody has a stake in the outcome.”
He emphasized the benefits of a strong union voice, particularly in recent national pay negotiations:
“And we can see from our recent national pay agreements, in particular, the advantage of having a strong voice at those negotiations. And our goal is to make our voice stronger because it's important that workers' voices are properly represented when our representatives in the union movement meet with government.”
