The ICTU group of health unions (which includes Fórsa) said yesterday that the delayed publication of a Health Service Executive (HSE) "pay and numbers" strategy is disrupting health services. 

Elsewhere, the Longford Leader reports on the outcome of the Fórsa ballot for industrial action at St Christopher's in Longford, while rents for new tenancies outside the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) increased by almost twice the rate as those in Dublin at the end of last year, with the switch to remote working and people moving outside the capital following the Covid-19 pandemic contributing to the trend. 

Galway Bay fm interviewed Fórsa colleague Michael Kerrigan this week about events in Galway to mark Union Week, while ICTU's May Day message was a call for the State to introduce legal protection and rights for workers to join a union, while President Michael D Higgins issued this statement to mark the day.

Finally, in Sweden, former prime minister and Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson said the EU must become “democracy-secure” and be able to expel countries that move in the opposite direction,  In her May Day address Andersson outlined a series of measures making it easier to withhold money from countries that do not respect the rule of law, which she says violates press freedom, trade union rights and civil liberties. 

Zen

Pet Shop Boys have a new album out and the synth pop veterans maintain their consistency and quality control with aplomb. The single, Loneliness features the trademark melancholy combined with a great foor-to-the-floor and, naturally, an arty video.

Have an lovely day.

Niall