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Civil service HR moves online
by Róisín McKane
 

The civil service National Shared Services Office (NSSO) has temporarily suspended its HR and payroll helpdesks with immediate effect, on foot of An Taoiseach’s ‘stay at home’ announcement last Friday.


The civil service National Shared Services Office (NSSO) has temporarily suspended its HR and payroll helpdesks with immediate effect, on foot of An Taoiseach’s ‘stay at home’ announcement last Friday.

 

But the NSSO has migrated online to an email based facility in order to provide as many essential services as possible.

 

Civil servants who have queries, or who need to raise issues, are being urged to visit the Peoplepoint  and Payroll Shared Services Centre online portals in the first instance.

 

The NSSO can still be contacted by email for urgent matters that can’t be rectified through the portal. HR queries can be sent HERE, while payroll queries can be sent HERE

 

The NSSO will be posting further information on their websites at pssc.gov.ie and nsso.gov.ie.

 

You can also follow the NSSO twitter account (@SSCIRL) for updates.

Social Protection issues 500k payments
by Niall Shanahan
 

Staff at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) completed the processing of just over half a million individual payments up to the end of last week.


Staff at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) completed the processing of just over half a million individual payments up to the end of last week.

 

DEASP payments of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (283,000), and standard jobseeker payments (201,000) were made last Friday (27th March).

 

Wage subsidy payments under the Employer Refund Scheme (25,000) were also completed on Friday. The Employer Refund Scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners on behalf of the DEASP.

 

The number of applicants for the standard jobseeker payments saw an increase of 19,000 on the figure at the end of February. All payments issued were in customers’ bank accounts, or at their local post office, from Tuesday (31st March).

 

The DEASP said the level of payments reflects the unprecedented demand for the Department’s income supports over the past two weeks.

 

Huge effort

 

Fórsa official Paul MacSweeney said the volume of processed payments within such a short timeframe demonstrated the extent to which union members had stepped up to the challenge presented by the Covid-19 crisis:

 

“Staff themselves are continuing to adjust to the effects of the crisis, and we’ve had some issues to deal with along the way. The scale of their effort and commitment is there for all to see.

 

“Our members in DEASP and in Revenue have stepped up to what may well be the biggest single challenge of their working lives. The work they’re doing is vital to providing the necessary financial supports to those who’ve been hit hard by the economic effect of Covid-19. That’s why the speed of processing the payments is so crucial, and our members can take pride in the amazing work they’ve done, and continue to do,” he said.

 

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

 

Since its launch on 16th March, the DEASP received and processed 389,000 applications for the Covid-19 Unemployment Payment, the equivalent of a 19-month claim load in just two weeks.

 

In a statement the DEASP said more than 66,000 duplicate applications were received, of which 88% have been put into payment. The large volume of duplicate applications has consumed a significant amount of staff time, delaying both the processing of valid claims and the contacting of people who have submitted incomplete or incorrect claims.

 

The department said some payments were withheld for various reasons, including not meeting eligibility criteria, invalid PPS numbers or IBAN details. It said staff are working very hard to resolve any issues with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days. 

 

The DEASP employs approximately 6,000 staff. Of these, as a temporary contingency measure in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 2,300 are currently working remotely, and the department is trying to increase this number.

 

In the interests of the public health advice and the restrictions on movements, the department continues to advise that people submit their applications online (HERE) where they can apply for:

  • The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment
  • Enhanced Illness Benefit for Covid-19 including for self-isolation cases
  • Jobseeker’s Payment

People can also arrange to close their Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment via the website.

Fórsa says stay home unless told to work
by Bernard Harbor
 

Fórsa has amended its advice to members to say they should stay away from workplaces on public health grounds unless their employer has told them they need to attend work. Until now, the union has advised staff to go in unless told otherwise. The union says much of the dust has settled since the An Taoiseach’s ‘stay at home’ announcement last Friday (27th March), and that most employers have now given clear direction to staff.


Covid-19: Advice to Fórsa members
 

Fórsa has updated its advice on coronavirus-related work issues for civil servants and staff in the wider public service. The advice covers attendance at work (including for pregnant workers and those with health vulnerabilities), salary protections for those self-isolating, temporary staff transfers, childcare and more. Read it HERE.


Unions call for stronger supports
by Hazel Gavigan
 

Fórsa has supported calls by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) for the Government to implement stronger measures to avoid an economic depression as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.


Fórsa has supported calls by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) for the Government to implement stronger measures to avoid an economic depression as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

 

Central Statistic Office (CSO) figures released today (Thursday) show that over 300,000 workers have been directly affected by the virus over the past month. It took three years to reach this number during the banking crisis a decade ago.

 

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the Government should “ramp up” and revise its temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme to maximise the number of people who can return to work after the crisis.

 

Ms King called on the Government to adopt the European Unemployment Reinsurance Scheme, which helps countries cope with the rise in unemployment.

 

Under this scheme, the EU would provide loans and guidance on implementing short-time working schemes. It’s been done in Germany, where over 500,000 people are now in schemes.

 

The union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute also said the European Central Bank should act as a lender of last resort to support governments who are supporting businesses and workers.

 

The Irish Government has already responded to union calls for income supports. But Fórsa says more is action is needed to prevent a long-lasting depression.

Feature Article
Support helplines for Fórsa members

Fórsa's range of support helplines remain in place during the coronavirus crisis. They are open 24 hours a day, seven  days a week at no additional cost to Fórsa members. 

  • Confidential counselling helpline 1850-77-66-55
  • Legal help in bodily injury cases 1850-77-66-44
  • Legal advice helpline 1850-77-66-44

For advice or information on workplace issues contact the union HERE.


Also in this issue
Updating your contact details
 

Fórsa is keen to ensure that all our members contact details are up to date.

 

By maintaining your current contact details we can ensure that up-to-the-minute, important information can be delivered directly to each and every member of the union.

 

This is especially important during the current national Covid-19 crisis. In the past few days we’ve been able to issue a series of special bulletins to members, keeping them in touch with the latest advice and guidelines from the HSE and employers.

 

However, if any member isn’t receiving this information, it means we don’t have a current email address for them on our system. This could be because they’ve moved departments or changed grades or employment etc.

 

If this sounds like the experience of one of your colleagues, please share this information with them and let them know we’re encouraging members to update their contact details with us in order to improve our communications service to members.

 

The union is also experiencing a high volume of members getting in touch with the communications unit directly to change their contact details as a result of new eircom policy taking effect later this month. Those members wishing to change the email address Fórsa contacts them on should also follow the directions outlined below.

 

It's also worth noting your home email address helps to ensure direct, safe and more effective communications with you than a workplace email address.

 

To update contact details, visit our website HERE and follow the directions to quickly update them.

Huge economic fallout predicted
by Bernard Harbor
 

Over 350,000 people could lose their jobs if current coronavirus-related restrictions and closures stay in place for 12 weeks, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

 

This would push the unemployment rate to 18% in the second half of this year, up from less than 5% in the first three months of 2020.

 

The report was published as social protection staff processed over half a million individual transactions last week. This included 283,000 pandemic unemployment payments and over 200,000 standard jobseeker payments.

 

Describing the pandemic as the “greatest threat that the Irish economy has faced since the financial crisis,” the ESRI also warned that State finances will be hard hit.

 

It envisages a significant fall in revenue as economic activity stalls, coupled with extra health spending to deal with Covid-19 and the soaring costs of supports to laid-off workers and struggling businesses.

 

The economic think tank suggests that the economy could shrink by over 7% this year on foot of reduced household spending, cancelled and postponed business investment, and falling overseas demand for Irish-produced goods.

 

It says the labour market had been strong prior to the pandemic. But was now facing “the largest one quarter shock in living memory.”

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.

Direct provision protections demanded
by Bernard Harbor
 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called on justice minister Charlie Flanagan to put urgent measures in place to protect people living in direct provision centres during the Covid-19 crisis.

 

ICTU wants direct provision-based asylum seekers aged over 60 years old – and those with pre-existing medical conditions – to be allowed to move to accommodation where they can effectively self-isolate and cocoon. It says this will help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

 

ICTU’s international officer David Joyce said: “There is no conflict between measures to protect public health and human rights. It’s simply not in the public health interest to have direct provision centres that potentially spread the virus quickly.”

 

Congress says conditions in direct provision centres often make it impossible for people to self-isolate. Yet the State’s recommended strategy is to self-isolate and self-quarantine, while minimising human contact and social gatherings.

 

ICTU has also criticised the decision to exclude asylum seekers who lost work because of the crisis from the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment.

 

Almost 5,700 refugees and asylum seekers, including over 1,700 children, are currently living in 39 direct provision centres. Another 1,585 people, including 285 children, are staying in emergency accommodation.

 

The Movement for Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) says people in direct provision often live in very close quarters, sharing living spaces and other facilities with multiple families.

 

“The HSE posters on social distancing are useless to an asylum seeker sharing a tiny bedroom with a stranger, having to use communal bathrooms, and congregating in a canteen for meals three times a day,” it says.