Good morning delegates,

Welcome to Day 2 of your Health and Welfare divisional conference. 

A reminder that you can view all conference documents on the dedicated online hub, which you can access here. 

Conference reopens at 9.15am this morning, with an address by Fórsa president Martin Walsh. There is a packed agenda today, including two panel discussions, the first at 11.30am on morale amongst healthcare workers, and a second on the safe use of artificial intelligence in healthcare which takes place at 3.15pm.
 
There’s a fringe meeting at 1pm today on Strengthening Fórsa and Improving Member Services in the Glencar Suite, at the rear of the Health and Welfare Conference Hall. If delegates wish to attend this fringe, they should register at the helpdesk or online here, before 11.00am. Lunch will be available.

Don’t forget to pay a visit to our very own Fórsa membership stand where you can pick up posters and leaflets to take back to your workplace for your next recruitment drive.

After lunch general secretary Kevin Callinan will address conference, and motions on local bargaining, the pay and numbers strategy, and AI will round out the day’s proceedings.

Minister Carroll MacNeill, Minister for Health has sent a message to conference which will be shared with delegates in the afternoon.  

The day’s work is scheduled to finish at 4.30pm, giving delegates plenty of time to prepare for the Gala dinner which will begin at 8pm. For delegates commuting from other hotels in Letterkenny, there is a shuttle bus service, timetable here.

Highlights from Day One: Your Voice, Your Power

A stunning musical performance by Donegal musicians Without Willow opened this year’s Health and Welfare conference. You can check out their music here.

As proceedings got underway Anne Marie Boyle, Chair of Donegal Health and Welfare branch welcomed delegates to Letterkenny, wishing them well for the days ahead.

In her opening address Cathaoirleach Clodagh Kavanagh underlined the importance of divisional conference saying: “This is more than just a gathering; it is a re-affirmation of our values of solidarity and justice. The motions you pass will give direction to your division for the next two years.”

She thanked members for their dedication, strength and unity during recent disputes, which she said showed members’ commitment to fairness, dignity and respect for working people.

Head of division Ashley Connolly addressed conference on the long running campaign for pay parity in the community and voluntary sector, recalling the many twists and turns on the path.

She said: “It has taken a long time to secure these pay recovery measures. The next step in the process is the data gathering exercise and this must take place immediately. We must keep applying pressure, otherwise we will be left waiting again to achieve pay justice. That can’t be allowed to happen,” she said. 

Ashley also said the current pay deal, endorsed in a ballot of Fórsa members at the start of May, was a major milestone for a large group of workers whose pay had not been properly restored after austerity-era cuts to pay in 2009.  After 15 long years we finally have pay certainty.   

In a rallying cry and tribute to members Ashley said: "Let us honour the lessons of the past, so we may stand strong against the challenges of the future. We will continue to organise, campaign and stand strong to champion and defend this sector, until such a time as all issues are brought to resolution."

Debate on motions then began in earnest, with issues ranging from Tusla reform, to reports on motions, pay in the community and voluntary sector and outsourcing all on the agenda.

The debate on privatisation and outsourcing heard from many members  who spoke eloquently about the impact this practice is having.

Una Burke from the Tipperary South Health and Community branch, spoke on privatisation and the outsourcing of core HSE work. She said: “The practice of outsourcing core work is undermining and diluting some of the HSE’s core services. It has caused fragmentation of services and has negatively impacted the provision of care. It is a strategy that devalues workers and undermines patient care.

In the same debate Denis Rooney from the Sligo branch called out the “dirty tricks” played by the HSE in regard to home support services, while Pat Fallon, condemned the complacency that has crept in around privatisation.

Speaking on behalf of the DEC motion on this topic national secretary Linda Kelly sent a strong message saying: “It is never benign, it is always about saving money, it is never in the interest of the public, but only ever in the financial interest of a very small group of private individuals. We need a whole of division approach to this issue and  we will consult with members and branches on our approach."

A busy first day of Conference 2025 then came to an end after further debate on public policy motions.

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