The Irish Times reports that a wide range of prosecutions, including for serious crime and sexual offences, could be adversely affected by industrial action set to begin next week at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). The action is being taken by Fórsa members "amid a long-running dispute concerning if, how and when vacancies for senior prosecutors are filled." Industrial action will begin on October 1st, involving the withdrawal of specified services over four weeks, and is unrelated to the wider public service industrial action starting next Wednesday, 30th September.

Elsewhere, regional media continue to report on the commencement of that national industrial action next week.

"Balloting by trade unions and possible industrial action is “only delaying” a public sector pay deal" according to Jack Chambers, in response to a question from Richard Boyd Barrett in the Dáil this week, adding that "We’ll make provision for a pay deal [in the Budget].”  

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has offered IT staff at its head office a redundancy package of five weeks’ pay per year of service, the Business Post reports. 

The Gardaí will take industrial action next month, as members of the GRA will refuse to take up any overtime duties in the Dublin region on five dates in October, including Budget day, 6th October.

Eoin-Burke Kennedy casts an eye over stalled progress toward a Living Wage, with contributions by ICTU's Laura Bambrick. This week ICTU also drew attention to a breakdown in the PRSI system.

The number of large companies requiring staff in the office on set days is expected to rise by about half next year, according to research commissioned for law firm William Fry. Emmet Malone's coverage of the research prompted this response in the IT letters page by Liam Murphy in Sandyford, Dublin, who highlights that the research "asked 404 businesses what worries them. It did not show output falling by a single percentage point since hybrid working began." Sentiment over evidence continues to drive the demand that workers return to the office, while RTÉ's Brian O'Donovan emphasises that "companies are moving away from unrestricted flexibility towards a more structured hybrid working model."

Finally, David Devlin in Glenegeary wants to know why nobody in the public sector is held to account. Haven't seen that one in a while.

Your Zen this morning is again suggested by Fórsa rep and regular reader Mick McLoughlin, who got in touch to say this week marks the 50th anniversary of an auspicious gathering on Dublin's Northside, which is said to have taken place on Saturday 25th September, 1976.

The following day, Dublin won the All-Ireland football final and, on Monday, Anton O'Toole brought the Sam Maguire into Synge Street to the raucous cheer of a thousand schoolboys. We were given a half-day off to celebrate. Bonnie Tyler's Lost in France was in the charts, and the city, much like now, was cooling its Cuban-heeled boots after a three month heat wave. 

What we didn't know then was that the Larry Mullen band had formed in his parents kitchen in Rosemount Avenue in Artane that Saturday night. Roisín Ingle takes up the story in a three-part podcast this week for The Irish Times.

Have a great weekend.

NS