Fórsa have received further clarification at the recent SNA Industrial Relations (IR) forum, which was attended by Fórsa Assistant General Secretary, Shane Lambert, and from the Department of Education regarding the 72-hours circular.

It had already been confirmed to Fórsa that the use of the hours is task dependent and that if appropriate work was not identified then the hours were not required. However, we have now also confirmed that if a block of hours is allocated for a certain task, the hours are finished whenever the work finishes and SNAs receive the credit for the block (1 hour or 2.5 hours).

As previously confirmed the duties also must fall within the agreed circular. This means that SNAs working on book clubs, homework & breakfast clubs, extra-curricular / additional activities etc. are not in line with the provisions of the circular and as such are not appropriate.

Fórsa had always taken it that if an SNA completes the defined tasks in a shorter time than the block scheduled, they can leave and still get the credit for what was scheduled e.g. if they finish in 1 hour or under, they should get the credit for the 1 hour and anything beyond that is credited as 2.5 hours (2.5 is the maximum amount of time that can be scheduled).

Shane commented at the meeting that there are still instances where there is non-compliance with the circular: “There have been instances where the employers were not complying with this, and they were allocating hours work on a time for time basis.

“We sought clarification through the IR forum back in May and there was no objection or alternative view put forward at that time. The minutes of that meeting confirming the position were signed off at our IR forum meeting last Thursday, the 12th of October.

“We will continue to support our SNAs and ensure that the proper measures are followed by school authorities when dealing with our members. Management bodies requested that where such issues arise, members should engage directly with their management first.”

“Fórsa requested that the management bodies advise their members that such engagement should always be seen as non-confrontational and treated as such. If members have concerns in this regard, they are advised to contact their local Fórsa representative for assistance in how the matter should be approached.”

On Friday 10th of November Fórsa will be hosting an SNA Orientation Course in Munster. Following negotiations with the Department of Education, the Department has approved the release of 100 SNAs to attend on a one-per-school basis for this first of its kind pilot event.

The event is targeted for newly recruited SNAs and aims to provide information on the SNA role, it’s future, whilst also clarifying the general terms and conditions, operation of sick leave and assault leave schemes, whilst detailing the different supports to SNAs. There will be a session in the afternoon on building resilience, with special guest speakers.

The event will take place in the Charleville Park Hotel, Charleville, Co. Cork. The invite and registration link will issue shortly to potential applicants through branches. Places will be allocated to newly recruited SNAs on a first come first served basis, and registration will be capped at one member per school. If you know a newly recruited SNA please urge them to attend this one-day conference, please share these details with them and encourage your new colleagues to keep an eye out for the invite and registration link and most importantly ask them: have you joined the union yet?

Fórsa is encouraging members to complete a short survey to help further our research on bullying in the workplace. Your contribution is entirely voluntary and anonymous and is in strict compliance with Fórsa's Data Protection policy.

The results of this research will help to provide objective statistical analysis to help inform our upcoming seminar, "Your Right to Dignity in the Workplace", which will take place on Thursday 16th November 2023. Details on how to attend this seminar will be circulated to branches next week.

This research aims to gain a more comprehensive understanding of members' experiences of bullying in the workplace or being a witness to bullying.

The survey also sets out to inform policy and procedures when raising such matters with respective employers.

This survey is relevant to all members, including those who have not directly experienced bullying at work.

The survey is online now and it will remain open until Friday 27th October 2023. You can access it HERE.

Dear members,

Over the past two weeks, Budget Day has come and gone, there has been a horrific escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine, and a strike by workers in the community and voluntary sector was averted hours before it was due to start. 

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, just before community and voluntary sector workers were due to begin an indefinite strike action, unions secured an agreement at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), offering a clear path to resolving the long running pay dispute.The most important part of the agreement was the recognition by the government of the staffing crisis in the agencies concerned and their commitment to re-engage in relation to pay parity following the public service pay talks. You can read more about the agreement here. 

We are now at half time in this dispute. However, I want to acknowledge the huge effort by our members, branches and staff to prepare for the strike and to thank everyone involved. It was wonderful to see workers and providers standing together for service users.

Over the past week, it has been impossible not to be concerned by the escalating violence in the Middle East. Last week I issued a statement on behalf of Fórsa condemning in the strongest possible terms the appalling violence against civilians in Israel and Gaza, expressing condolences to all who are mourning the loss of loved ones and calling for the immediate safe release of those who have been taken hostage.

Since then, we have witnessed utter devastation in Gaza and a humanitarian crisis unfold before our eyes. Following my return from Palestine at the end of June, I met the Tánaiste along with representatives of a number of other Irish charities and NGOs. Last Friday we wrote to him again asking that the Irish government continue to do all it can to stand for international law and to act as a voice of reason and de-escalation. Along with other Congress unions we will be participating in demonstrations this weekend to reinforce this call and to support the ordinary Palestinian people.

Budget Day has come and gone, and, in many ways, it was a mixed bag. The further reduction in childcare costs will make a difference for parents of young children and the extension of free schoolbooks will remove a worry for many when next September approaches.

The increase in the National Minimum Wage to €12.70 per hour had been well flagged and represents a step on the road towards a real Living Wage. The focus on low paid workers is a welcome one and will need to be reflected in pay bargaining as we move forward.

Overall, the consensus is that the considerable budgetary adjustment was spread widely without making the kind of transformative impact that could have been possible. And some elements, such as the tax break for landlords, were simply regressive.

At the conclusion of his speech Minister Paschal Donohoe alluded to the upcoming public service pay talks expressing the hope that the various measures announced in the budget would be reflected in union demands.

He didn’t refer to the significant shortfall in wages against inflation over the 2021 to 2023 period or to the fact that in his budget speech last year he began by raising his department’s estimates for 2023 inflation from 3% to 7.1%.

It is likely to turn out to be nearer the higher figure. Importantly, he didn’t acknowledge that many of the budgetary measures are temporary in nature while the increase in the overall level of prices almost certainly is not.

It is clear that pay bargaining across the economy, including in the public sector, will have an important part to play in protecting living standards. This will remain to the fore of our minds as we continue to prepare for public pay talks and we will of course continue to keep you updated.

Yours,

Kevin Callinan
General Secretary

The purpose of Trade Union training and education is to empower our representatives and equip them to secure better outcomes for our members.  

Trade Union education is different from other forms of education because it is group oriented and grounded in the experiences, and needs of participants.

Trade union training is non-academic and focuses on developing key skills for effective representation, recognising that our representatives are the experts in their field. All the learning is practical, applicable, and relevant to participants.

The Fórsa Skills Academy works to enhance members’ knowledge, skills and attitudes with high quality, accessible training and learning events, and activist development opportunities.

Our programmes are about supporting local leaders, developing competent representatives, and supporting our activists.  How?  By creating a simple pathway of learning for representatives to travel.

A quick overview of our main programmes is contained in the diagram below, represented as a series of blocks forming a learning pathway, from new member to workplace representative and then on to branch executive officer.  Additional courses are being added all the time to this pathway.

 
We survey all participants in our training courses to ensure we can adjust our training to ensure they are as effective as possible and to ensure we continue to support members on their learning pathway. 

The Application Process 

It’s important that training applications are received in a timely fashion to enable all courses to proceed as scheduled.  The Branch Executive Committee and Officials should be made aware of those seeking training, so that they can advise and provide support accordingly.

Keep an eye on your Divisional ebulletin for further articles about training and education in Fórsa.  If you have a specific question or clarification on our training programmes, please don’t hesitate to contact Judith in the Skills Academy office in Cork at skillsacademy@forsa.ie

We look forward to welcoming you at our next training programme and leave you with a wonderful quote from the indomitable Maya Angelou: “I did then what I knew how to do.  Now that I know better, I do better”. 

Fórsa has welcomed the Department of Public Expenditure’s Menopause Policy framework which mandates all civil service organisations to implement a menopause policy by early 2024. 

Launched this week on World Menopause Day (18th October), the framework mandates every civil service organisation to have a menopause policy in place by early 2024. It offers a list of guidelines and supports for managers to choose from, and provides a blueprint for employers in all sectors. 

In response Fórsa has said it would like to see consistent minimum standards and mandatory supports across all civil service organisations, not varying versions of these policies.

Fórsa also successfully negotiated the inclusion of a checklist in the framework and called for it to be prominently displayed in all workplaces so employees are aware of the range of supports that are, and can be, made available to them if they are going through symptoms of menopause. 

The union said this will further help raise awareness and alleviate some of the stigma that exists for employees when discussing menopausal issues with their managers, or seeking out supports. 

In its submission to the draft policy, Fórsa said the evolving landscape of the workforce necessitated a corresponding evolution in workplace protections and policies. As our workforce changes, so must our workplace protections and policies.

Head of Fórsa’s civil service division, Éamonn Donnelly, who made the submission said: “While we acknowledge the progressive nature of this framework, we believe it can go further by providing safeguards that would grant employees access to the support structures delineated within the framework and guidance document.”

“The efficacy of the support measures laid out by the framework hinges on workers' ability to avail themselves of these measures without fear of reprisal or victimisation.

“We welcome the recommendation of adopting the framework, but it is also imperative that we retain consistent standards to be implemented across each organisation. This will ensure that organisations and managers do not cherry-pick easily implementable supports while overlooking some of the more substantial guidelines and changes that are recommended,” said Éamonn. 

In that respect, Fórsa believes a few key priority accommodations should be made compulsory for every organisation. 

In Fórsa’s 2022 survey on the subject of menstrual and menopausal welfare policies at work, we found that just 1% of employee respondents benefited from such a policy within their workplaces. 

This new policy should increase that number substantially and represents a significant step forward. Fórsa will continue to negotiate and campaign on this issue across all divisions to ensure all members can benefit from this type of policy. 

Fórsa members can win a €1,000 Blue Book hotel voucher by entering a competition organised by Glennon Car and Home Insurance at Arachas. Just contact Glennon to renew an existing car or home policy or take out a new one and you will be automatically entered into the draw.

The competition closes on the 31st of December when a winner will be chosen at random. Glennon at Arachas are insurance experts with over 70 years’ industry experience. They have worked with the union for many years. For more details of the details of the competition you can see the terms & conditions.

You can get further information on Glennon deals for Fórsa members by clicking HERE or by calling 01-707-5999.