Good morning delegates,

Conference resumes today at 10am.

The morning will begin with an address from guest speaker Liam Berney, Senior Industrial Officer ICTU on Local Autorities & Uisce Éireann: Water Transformation Update. This will be followed by guest speaker Pauline Mulligan, Chief Executive, Local Government Management Agency.

Then emergency motions will be debated and voted on, before moving on to a panel discussion on Organising for Power in Local Government.

Fórsa’s Kevin Donoghue will round out the morning with an update on Fórsa’s campaigns work and provide reflections on the local government attitudes survey.

The closing ceremony is scheduled for 12.30pm.

A selection of photos taken over the course of conference is available on our website, linked here. 

Delegates set division’s direction

Thursday morning began with Michael Whyms (Fingal) returning as Cathaoirleach in an unopposed vote, with Bernard McNeely (Donegal LG) becoming Leas Cathaoirleach, also unopposed.

Following the announcements was the first panel of the day, The State of Local Government in Europe and Globally, and Opportunities of Remunicipalisation. 

Head of division, Richy Carrothers delivered an address to delegates largely focussing on the conference theme of ‘Keep it public, Keep it local.’ Richy highlighted the need for a stronger local government sector, and lambasted the lack of importance placed upon the sector. He said, “Ireland now has the worst level of local representation and the weakest local government in Europe. That is a shameful table to be at the top of.”

With yesterday marking the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, Richy called on the government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill and on members to attend marches in Dublin and Belfast this Saturday. Fórsa will be marching with the union bloc in Dublin, with a coffee morning beginning at 12pm in Nerney’s Court, before gathering outside Mandate Trade Union Offices to march at 1pm.

Motions followed Richy’s speech, with delegates speaking on a wide range of topics including the 4-day working week, and motions addressing the housing crisis passing with enthusiastic support.

Dr. Lorcan Sirr brought proceedings up to the lunch break, with his address on housing, where he expressed scepticism on the value of a housing tsar and the necessity for the state to directly produce housing for those most in need, and not those at the top end of the housing market.

Delegates were welcomed back with an address from Lilian Seenoi-Barr, Mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council. Lilian discussed the importance of building bridges, and the impact of representation. She called on Fórsa to be a union that builds stronger communities, and a better country.

A new DEC was elected to represent members of the division. Chair Michael Whyms and Vice Chair Bernard McNeely will be joined by:

Fiona Baskett (Longford H&LG branch), Mairéad Costello (Kerry H&LG branch), Cliadhna Dinneen (Cork H&LG branch), Florie Hickey (Roscommon H&LG branch), Ray Kennedy (Offaly H&LG branch), Audrey Lambert (Dublin City Council LG branch), Noel McCarthy (South Dublin branch), Brian Madden (Galway H&LG branch), Ann Marie Maher (Laois LG branch), Margaret O’Dwyer (Kildare LG branch), Gerry O’Quigley (Dun Laoghaire Rathdown LG branch), Margaret Tuohy (Clare H&LG branch), and Padraig McGivney (Cavan H&LG branch). Padraig McGivney also taking the post of 3rd divisional representative on the NEC.

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” 

General Secretary, Kevin Callinan, rallied delegates with his address, putting unions and union activists at the heart of the fight to overcome the “dark times” we live in. He said, ““we stand in the vanguard, against division, against hate, against war. For community, for justice, for peace.”

He continued “It is our responsibility to harness the power of our great movement to work towards the light.”

Kevin extolled the need for reform and modernisation within the union movement citing work already done within Fórsa to invigorate the organising power of our activist base. He called on delegates to use Local Bargaining to have conversations with coworkers and bring them into the Fórsa community.

“We are a community space and we’re going to remain so.”

The final act of the day, the panel: Libraries and the Far-Right, featured Fórsa members Edel Scally (librarian), Michael Devine (assistant librarian), and Faye Carrie (UCD), with Fórsa policy & research officer, Aisling Cusack, facilitating. 

Panellists described a lack of institutional support as an abiding problem for librarians when facing far-right agitation. Edel described a situation where health and safety officers were making security plans with no central guidance.

Faye described how, when interviewing librarians for the Resisting Hate and Navigating Agitation report, they found, “people needed to feel listened to, because they weren’t listened to by management”

Edel called for someone in power to “stand up and say something.” 

While there was a lack of support from people in positions of authority, Michael and Edel told of the great support they received from the community. Michael joked “our biggest danger was if we develop diabetes or hay fever, we received so many flowers and boxes of chocolates.”

He went on to underscore the importance of the swift response from unions: “Fórsa came in and said we’re here for you. The union support made us feel like we could do something about it.”

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.