Articles A
School secretary assimilation talks continue
by Bernard Harbor
 

Talks on the assimilation of school secretaries onto improved pay scales are continuing, following the education department’s milestone concession that they should all be placed on the public service clerical officer scale.


Talks on the assimilation of school secretaries onto improved pay scales are continuing, following the education department’s milestone concession that they should all be placed on the public service clerical officer scale.

 

The breakthrough, reported in this bulletin two weeks ago, brought an end to four decades of two-tier pay arrangements, and led Fórsa to defer a national one-day strike planned for 15th September.

 

The current negotiations will also address conditions of employment as well as pensions.

 

The improvements, which will come into effect from 1st September 2021, will also see equalisation of annual leave arrangements on the basis of public service clerical officer provisions. The department also agreed to improve sick pay arrangements, though Fórsa will continue to pursue full equalisation with ETB-employed secretaries.

 

The union also said it expected the new employment conditions to be included in a model national contract for secretaries. It said the education department had stated that the administration of secretaries’ pay would be centralised, with the details to be discussed over the coming weeks.

 

Fórsa said work remained to be done on the details of a similar package for caretakers, but said the department had agreed that the same principles would apply to them.

 

Whilst no agreement was reached on the provision of pensions, the parties will try and seek a resolution of this outstanding issue in the final phase of talks on this long-standing dispute.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

New contact tracing protocols welcomed
by Bernard Harbor and Niall Shanahan
 

Fórsa has welcomed last week’s Government announcement that asymptomatic students in special education settings won’t be part of the broader relaxation of contact tracing for primary school students. 


Fórsa has welcomed last week’s Government announcement that asymptomatic students in special education settings won’t be part of the broader relaxation of contact tracing for primary school students. The union said the retention of contact tracing for asymptomatic students in special education settings is designed solely to protect medically vulnerable students.

 

Since Monday (27th September), the broader relaxation of contact tracing protocols has applied to asymptomatic primary school students, who will not be required to stay at home if they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for Covid-19.

 

This is reducing the large number of students without symptoms who has been excluded from school while awaiting the outcome of a Covid test.

But the previous protocols continue to apply to primary school students who attend special education schools or classes. Here, contact tracing will continue following a public health risk assessment for asymptomatic students identified as being close contacts.

 

The contact tracing protocols remain in place for post-primary students, and all school-age children identified as close contacts through community testing will still have to restrict their movements even if they are asymptomatic.

 

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said the Government had listened to the union’s concerns about vulnerable children in special settings.

 

“It’s important to stress that this relaxation only affects students who do not display symptoms. Students with symptoms will still be required to restrict their movements and stay away from school until HSE advice allows them to return.

 

“We support the continuation of contact tracing in both post-primary and special education settings until the prevalence of Covid-19 in school-aged children begins to recede. In the meantime, it is vital that schools are able to avail of sufficient HSE support through regional public health teams. The clear message has to be that to keep schools as safe as possible please do not to send students to school if they display symptoms of Covid-19,” he said.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Childcare should be an affordable public service
by Mark Corcoran
 

Childcare is an essential public service that should be properly funded by the State, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has said.


Childcare is an essential public service that should be properly funded by the State, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has said. The federation’s head of social policy, Laura Bambrick, said the absence of a statutory entitlement to childcare is driving up the cost of services predominantly provided by the private sector.

 

She was speaking after the publication of the Early Years Staffing Survey Report 2021, which found that a third of childcare facilities are at risk of closure in the coming weeks due to the inability to recruit qualified workers.  Staff turnover in the sector is running at over 40%.

 

The report’s authors predicted increased shortages of childcare places, longer waiting lists and poorer quality services unless the Government quickly implements change.

 

This point was underlined by Dr Bambrick, who said the market approach to childcare provision had failed.

 

“The State must recognise childcare as an essential public service, which they are responsible for delivering and resourcing. It's the European way. It's the only accessible and affordable way to guarantee accessible and affordable childcare for families and decent pay and conditions for workers,” she said.

 

Bambrick said low-cost publicly-provided childcare was available for all children, irrespective of how much their parents earn, in eight of 27 EU countries. “More typically, childcare subsidises are more generous for low-income and lone-parent families," she said.

 

The cost of childcare for parents in Ireland remains the highest of any EU country. An average working couple in Ireland needs to spend 20% of their joint income to keep two pre-school children in ‘full-time’ childcare. That’s a bigger share of the family budget than is typically spent on housing.

 

The cost of childcare also effectively bars many women from the workforce, and Ireland has one of the lowest rates of working mothers in Europe.

 

The report also indicated that over 70% of childcare managers found it extremely difficult to recruit qualified workers, with 97% of them saying this had a negative impact on their work.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Remote work talks get underway
by Bernard Harbor
 

Talks on a long-term framework for ‘blended working’ in the civil service got underway last Friday (24th September) and intensified this week.


Talks on a long-term framework for ‘blended working’ in the civil service got underway last Friday (24th September) and intensified this week.

 

The aim is to agree a long-term framework for managing remote working, which will supersede arrangements put in place during the pandemic.

 

Once agreement is reached in the civil service, the ‘blended working’ framework is expected to inform discussions across the public service including health, local authorities and education. With this in mind, the current talks will aim to agree a framework capable of being rolled-out across the public service, rather than being confined to central Government departments and agencies.

 

Speaking after the initial plenary meeting, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said the negotiation would be hugely significant for both the public service and the wider economy.

 

“This is important in terms of how the public service emerges from the pandemic, when it delivered massively for the citizens of Ireland. But it’s also an unmissable opportunity for the public sector to show leadership on new forms of work organisation, drawing on the lessons of the last 18 months,” he said.

 

The head of Fórsa’s Civil Service Division, Derek Mullen, is leading the union side in the talks, which are taking place within the civil service industrial relations set-up. Speaking after the first meeting, he said the unions wanted to build on the best of the pandemic experience.

 

“There is a huge interest in this coming out of the unique circumstances of the pandemic, which has given us a wealth of experience of what’s possible. The union wants to do something transformational, rather than be restricted to the lowest common denominator achievable in the public sector,” he said.

 

A Government ‘Blended Working Policy Statement,’ published in July, said the civil service would switch from pandemic-related remote working provisions to long-term blended working arrangements between September 2021 and March 2022.

 

But Fórsa has told senior Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) officials that the civil service talks must conclude quickly to allow discussions to take place in other sectors in time for agreed policies to be in place by next spring. Management has agreed that this is the best approach.

 

The union’s priority is to ensure that objective and transparent criteria are established to determine which roles are suitable for remote working, and that these are applied fairly when people seek blended working arrangements. Fórsa is also seeking a range of worker protections on health and safety, mental health, work-life balance, privacy and access to flexitime and career opportunities.

 

Meanwhile, a group of four large private sector companies has established a ‘remote working alliance.’ Vodafone, ESB, eBay and Liberty Insurance say the initiative aims to “lead the way for other Irish employers to commit to long-term remote working.”

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

HRA hours process resumes post-summer
by Bernard Harbor
 

The independent body established to make recommendations on the implementation of a Government commitment to resolve the issue of the so-called ‘Haddington Road hours’ resumed work this month, following the summer break.


The independent body established to make recommendations on the implementation of a Government commitment to resolve the issue of the so-called ‘Haddington Road hours’ resumed work this month, following the summer break.

 

Earlier this week, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan led the union team at a further oral hearing of the body, which was established under the Building Momentum agreement to make recommendations to address the HRA hours.

 

The agreement commits the parties to “recognise and accept” that this and other specified HRA issues are “outstanding matters to be resolved as part of this agreement.”

 

The union argues that the removal of the additional hours need not lead to additional costs, reduced productivity or poorer service quality, and says it can be largely achieved within the €150 million set aside for the purpose under the Building Momentum public service agreement.

 

Although this was contested by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in its opening submission, Fórsa says there has never been a systematic management attempt to measure any “supposed productivity benefit” of the additional hours.

 

And it says the additional unpaid working time, which was introduced as an austerity measure eight years ago, continues to be a debilitating drain on morale and productivity across the civil and public service.

 

The main union submission – from the ICTU Public Services Committee – pointed out that virtually all other measures, including a third temporary pay cut for staff earning over €65,000 a year, have since been rescinded.

 

On gender, unions say the unpaid hours fell hardest in areas like nursing and other health professions, clerical work, and libraries, which are disproportionately staffed by women. This obliged many female public servants to make difficult changes to finely-tuned arrangements for balancing the working day or night with childcare and other caring responsibilities, often at significant financial cost.

 

“The introduction of the additional HRA hours worsened the gender pay and pensions gap as many female workers were obliged to seek part-time arrangements, retire early, or opt for reduced pay rather than reduced hours,” it says.

 

The body is to report this year, and initial implementation of its recommendations is to commence in 2022, with €150 million set aside for this purpose.

 

Provisions necessary to roll-out any remaining recommendations are to be dealt with “in the context of the 2023 [Budget] estimates,” on the basis of engagement between the parties to Building Momentum.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Women hit hardest by pandemic
by Mehak Dugal
 

The National Women’s Council (NWC) has called on the Government to invest in vital public services and social infrastructure in Budget 2022, including publicly-provided childcare.


The National Women’s Council (NWC) has called on the Government to invest in vital public services and social infrastructure in Budget 2022, including publicly-provided childcare.

 

Its pre-Budget submission contains a comprehensive set of budgetary recommendations designed to address the challenges faced by women following the Covid-19 crisis, which has amplified existing inequalities experienced by women.

 

The submission says women’s care responsibilities increased during the crisis, which also saw a disproportionate impact on women’s employment and health, an increase in violence against women and mounting pressure on community services.

 

NWC director Orla O’Connor called for investment in the care economy as a foundation for social and economic recovery. “This must include investment in our public services, including childcare, universal healthcare and social services,” she said.

 

The council wants the Government to use all its fiscal and monetary levers to invest in social infrastructure and public services to effectively fight climate justice, including borrowing at low interest rates and generating tax revenue through fair taxation. “This will create healthier and more equal societies which will support employment, sustainable productivity and additional tax revenue,” said O’Connor.

 

The NWC says Budget 2022 is an opportunity to significantly increase investment in a public, not for profit childcare model, a demand echoed by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) 

 

It also calls for investment in paid parental leave, flexible work and a work-life balance that allows men and women to combine with work care and other interests.

 

On social welfare reform, it calls for €10 increases in all social welfare payments, with a view to increasing rates to the minimum essential standard of living benchmark for social welfare payments by 2026.

 

Read the NCW budget submission HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Housing costs hike living wage
by Róisín McKane
 

The living wage has reached €12.90 an hour, well above the official statutory minimum wage of €10.20. That’s because rent increases, transport and energy costs have pushed the measure up by 60 cent in the last year, according to the Living Wage Technical Group.


The living wage has reached €12.90 an hour, well above the official statutory minimum wage of €10.20. That’s because rent increases, transport and energy costs have pushed the measure up by 60 cent in the last year, according to the Living Wage Technical Group (LWTG), which calculates the minimum full-time earnings needed to support an acceptable standard of living.

 

The LWTG, which calculates the living wage on behalf of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, says that rents alone pushed up the living wage by 3.9%. It says Dublin housing costs now account for almost 65% of a living wage net salary.

 

The group added that energy prices for home heating and transport have also risen, increasing the upward pressure on costs for workers. However the cost of food, clothing and car insurance has fallen, slightly offsetting the impact of housing.

 

The LWTG estimates that around one-in-five full-time workers in Ireland are earning less than the minimum wage, despite the fact that a number of employers have committed to paying it.

 

Assistant professor of social policy at UCD, Micheál Collins, said the current minimum wage leaves many struggling financially.

 

“We base the living wage on a basket of goods that are determined to provide a single individual working full-time with a basic but reasonable standard of living. That includes a nutritious diet, basic levels of clothing and personal care, and health costs,” he said.

 

Last week, the Government said an increase to the minimum wage will be considered ahead of next month's Budget announcement.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Feature Article
First female Labour Court chair honoured
by Niall Shanahan
 

Ireland’s Labour Court marked its 75th anniversary on 23rd September. The court’s prestigious history and crucial role in the development of the State was celebrated on social media on #IrelandThenAndNow.


Ireland’s Labour Court marked its 75th anniversary on 23rd September. The court’s prestigious history and crucial role in the development of the State was celebrated on social media on #IrelandThenAndNow.

 

Fórsa’s Communications Unit produced a short video to mark the occasion, celebrating the career of Evelyn Owens (1931-2010), who served as deputy chair of the court from 1984, and as chair from between 1994 and 1998.

 

Evelyn, described in her Irish Times obituary as “a pioneering woman in public life,” was a key campaigner for equal pay, the first woman to chair the Labour Court and the first female leas-cathaoirleach of the Seanad.

 

She commenced her career as an official with one of Fórsa’s forerunner unions, the Irish Local Government Officials’ Union (ILGOU).

 

The material featured in Fórsa’s video presentation is drawn from Evelyn Owens: An Appreciation, a booklet by Sheila Simmons and Francis Devine, which was published by IMPACT trade union in 2011. A copy of the publication is available via the Irish Labour History Society’s website HERE. 

 

You can watch the short video presentation here or in the screen below.

 

 

Also in this issue
Update your contact details
by Róisín McKane
 

Fórsa is keen to ensure that we have up-to-date contact details for all our members. You can help us keep you informed by visiting the ‘Update My Details’ page and adding your personal email address (not a work address), home postal address, and mobile phone number.

 

To update your contact details, simply fill in this online form

 

And please share this with your colleagues. If we don’t have their contact details they won’t have received this message.

 

Please note, your home email address helps to ensure direct, safe and more effective communications with you than a workplace email address.

 

Fórsa is urging its members in health, welfare and social care to update their contact details.

 

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Ireland lags on employment for disabled
by Mark Corcoran
 

Ireland has the fourth lowest rate of employment in the European Union among people with a disability, according to a new study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). Ireland has a 66% employment rate among working-age people with disabilities, compared to a European average of 74%.

 

The research, commissioned by the National Disability Authority (NDA), examined the skills, education qualifications and employment prospects of those with disabilities compared to those without. It found that people without disabilities have a higher job satisfaction compared to those with disabilities.

 

The impact of having a disability on a person’s employment chances varies by disability type. Specifically, people with a ‘psychological or emotional condition’ or ‘difficulty with basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying’ are most severely negatively impacted.

 

And, even if they are working full-time experience, people with a disability experience a higher poverty rate than their counterparts without a disability. A much smaller percentage of people with disabilities have a third-level qualification compared to those without disabilities.

 

While the data indicated that the percentage of people with a third-level education has increased over time, the education gap between people with and without disabilities remains.

 

NDA director Aideen Hartney welcomed the ESRI report. "This analysis highlights the importance of supporting persons with disabilities to attain skills and supports to attain good quality of employment, a key enable of reducing poverty," she said.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Public service schools programme launched
by Róisín McKane
 

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) has launched a new programme for second-level students, aimed at sparking interest in career opportunities in the public sector.

 

Launched earlier this week, the initiative includes a resource kit, which contains lesson plans covering diverse career paths and entry routes to the public service. It also has videos of public service workers from customs dog handlers, to economists, tour guides and medical controllers.

 

Fórsa’s head of civil service Derek Mullen has welcomed the initiative citing it as “dynamic” and “engaging”.

 

“More than 350,000 people are employed in the public sector in Ireland. It’s a wonderful career option that offers career progression and the opportunity to contribute positively to Irish life and the society in which we live. This is an excellent initiative that will showcase the careers in the public service available to young people” he said.

 

The resources, which are all free to use, can be found on a dedicated schools microsite on publicjobs.ie and are available in both Irish and English.

 

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, said his department was delighted to support its development. “I hope it will inspire students, as they think about what they would like to do when they leave school or college, to consider a career in public service, which would be both personally rewarding and beneficial to society,” he said. More information about the programme is available HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Biggest global climate change conversation
by Mark Corcoran
 

Billed as the biggest global conversation ever, the ‘global day of action to climate and employment-proof our work’ took place took place last week (22nd September). Organised by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the initiative saw workers around the world invite their employers to discuss future business plans with a commitment to a sustainable and greener future.

 

Fórsa joined workers and other unions from Bangladesh to Wales to voice concerns over the deteriorating capacity of our planet to sustain life.

 

Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan spoke about why workers need to voice our climate change concerns to employers. "Jobs and livelihoods are serious concerns for people, and so is the health of our precious planet. That's why we need to talk about climate and employment together.

 

"The world cannot afford to go back to the polluting, profiteering ways it was before the pandemic. Let's work together and create a future with secure jobs, sustainable economies, and a safe and healthy living planet," she said.

 

The ITUC also launched a guide on how unions and their members can engage employers on workplace climate action.

 

More recently, the United Workers Union in Australia launched a report that found more than 50% of people thought climate change was impacting people's working conditions.

 

To read the full report you can click here.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Grant scheme invites applications
by Mehak Dugal
 

Fórsa is inviting eligible members and activists to apply to its third level grant support scheme, which gives limited financial assistance to those undertaking certified educational courses – up to third level – that will assist them in carrying out their union representative role.

 

The scheme does not cover courses designed to enhance professional or career development unless they also improve a member’s ability to act as a Fórsa rep.

 

Applicants, who must be fully paid-up Fórsa members, can only apply by completing the approved application form and they must also have the support of their own Fórsa branch.

 

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 13th October 2021.

 

Full details of the application requirements and available support are available HERE. 

 

The application form is available HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Join Fórsa online
 

Workers who wish to join Fórsa can to do so using a new ‘join online’ function on the union’s website.

 

Going live with the new system follows several months of research, preparation and testing aimed at making it easier than ever to join the union. It also goes live as the union continues to process a large number of new membership applications, as interest in joining the union has surged since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

 

Fórsa’s general secretary Kevin Callinan commented: “The current crisis has created the necessity to be able to carry out our business in different ways. Work on this project had commenced before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, and its completion marks a vital step as we tackle the challenges of living in changed times.

 

“We can see that more people want to join a union in response to what’s happening in the wider economy. It’s vital that they can take those initial steps quickly and easily, and making the membership application process more accessible is part of that process.

 

“This is a crucial new venture to enable Fórsa to substantially increase our membership - and to strengthen the union’s hand - at a critical time in the union’s development,” he said.

 

The online facility is a streamlined and simplified membership application process, and will be the quickest and easiest way to join the union. All incoming applications will continue to be subject to check-off and approval by Fórsa branches and the national executive committee, while the new online system is designed to ease the administrative burden on branches.

 

You can join Fórsa online at https://join.forsa.ie/

 

Fórsa: Here to support you
 

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

 

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

 

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

 

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

 

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.