As we entered the weekend news was breaking that the IALPA executive had unanimously rejected the interim Labour Court recommendation issued last week. The story was picked up by RTÉ, the Indo, Business Post, and The Irish Times. IALPA is to put the Labour Court recommendation to a ballot of its members in the coming days with a recommendation from the pilot executive that it be rejected.

Also reported on Friday was news that Fórsa and the AHCPS will seek a four day week for civil servants, in up to three departments, on a trial basis. A motion to the AHCPS conference last week sought a pilot of a four day week for “all feasible grades” across the civil service.

In other Friday news, Fórsa's dispute at St Christopher's in Longford looks set to be resolved following an agreed set of proposals brokered at the WRC.

Elsewhere, the Seanad debated the issue of waste management, the problems of privatisation on the need for remunicipilisation last week. 

And in news that will tantalise every show on Newstalk, the Indo reports that the Office of Public Works (OPW) is spending more than €1.2m per year renting car parking spaces for public servants, "with some of the spots costing up to €3,700 each annually." 

Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that a dedicated “drone unit” is to be established in Dublin City Council under a new strategy which aims to scale up the use of drones for public services and hopes to pave the way for new forms of transport, as TUD (Technological University Dublin) is to “pause” the intake of students for 15 college courses in the new academic year due to low student numbers and cost-cutting measures. 

Zen

Your Zen moment today is a short story from the BBC news website about Chatham barber Jake Cox, who is is organising training for other barbers on how to identify mental health problems in clients. Link in the image above.

Have a great week.

Niall