Fórsa’s Municipal Employees’ Division held its annual general meeting last week, April 15th. 

Attendees at Fórsa’s libraries group annual general meeting heard calls for the union to investigate staffing levels in local authority library services. 

New official forecasts predict a strong post-Covid economic bounce in Ireland, with growth of 4.5% per cent this year and 5% in 2022.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has said building more homes won’t solve the housing crisis unless they are affordable. Its latest housing briefing also calls for action on the near-collapse in public housing provision.

Fórsa’s local government and local services divisional executive committee (DEC) has expressed concern at council employers’ disappointing response to the union’s claim for revised promotion arrangements for senior executive officers.

Discussions aimed at agreeing an ‘action plan’ for local government sector reforms are expected to be completed shortly. 

Almost 90% of workers aged over 55 believe they suffered age discrimination when looking for jobs. More than a third of respondents to a new survey also said employers considered them too old for sectors such as IT.

Ireland’s minimum wage workers are likely to have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic compared to their European counterparts, according to new Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) research.

Fórsa president Michael Smyth is organising a mental health webinar for members, which will focus on building resilience. 

The issue of period poverty is back in the headlines after supermarket chain Lidl this week announced it is to make period products free in its stores across the country.