Industrial action by Fórsa members at the Oberstown children detention campus was suspended on Saturday 29th August, following members’ backing of Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) proposals aimed at resolving the dispute.
The proposals emerged from intensive talks at the WRC, which concluded just after midnight on Friday 28th August. Fórsa welcomed the outcome, confirming that a clear roadmap had been agreed to address the remaining issues in a structured and time-bound way.
The dispute centred on Fórsa members’ concerns about safe staffing levels, recruitment difficulties, over-reliance on overtime, and the impact of capacity pressures on both staff and young people at the campus.
Members had backed industrial action in a ballot concluded in May, up to and including a full withdrawal of labour. A work-to-rule began on 25th June, including the withdrawal of cooperation with overtime. This was followed by a series of weekly work stoppages during August, beginning with a six-hour stoppage on 4th August and escalating over subsequent weeks.
The union had also served notice of a 48-hour work stoppage, following concerns that earlier engagement with Oberstown management had failed to deliver a sustainable resolution.
Fórsa had repeatedly called for the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) to engage directly in the process, arguing that the department had a central role in resolving the dispute. A rally at the department’s headquarters on Tuesday 18th August received significant print and broadcast media coverage, as did the weekly work stoppages that continued up to 25th August.
Watch: Workers at Oberstown Children Detention Campus took their campaign for safe staffing
directly to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality on Tuesday 18th August.
Following the WRC talks, Fórsa national secretary Hazel Nolan and assistant general secretary Deirdre O’Connell Hopkins said constructive engagement from all sides, supported by the political will required to move the dispute forward, had secured a pathway to resolution.
Deirdre said the proposals provided a basis for addressing the outstanding matters: “The aim here is to move Oberstown closer to the ultimate goal of making the campus safer for everyone.”
In a subsequent ballot of members at Oberstown on the proposals, Fórsa recommended a vote in favour. When members gave their overwhelming backing to the proposals, the union immediately paused all industrial action.
Hazel acknowledged the role of the WRC and the DCDE in facilitating the discussions, and paid tribute to members at Oberstown for their “determination, solidarity and focus on securing a lasting solution to safe staffing.”
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