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SNA supplementary panel provisions improved
by Niall Shanahan
 

Fórsa has agreed to new and stronger governance procedures for the special needs assistant (SNA) supplementary assignment panel, which is now included in a new circular issued by the Department of Education.


Fórsa has agreed new and stronger governance procedures for the special needs assistant (SNA) supplementary assignment panel, which is now included in a new circular issued by the Department of Education.

 

The supplementary assignment panel facilitates eligible SNAs who are being made redundant to take up posts that become available other schools.

 

Fórsa official Shane Lambert explained the revised arrangements. “When an employer notifies an SNA of redundancy, they now must immediately provide that SNA with a ‘PF1’ form. The SNA can then use this form to apply for an advertised vacancy. Employers must interview PF1 candidates in the first instance.

 

“For example, if an employer receives an application for a vacancy, from one or more SNAs who are due to be made redundant, and who provide the employer with a certified copy of the ‘PF1’ form, the employer is obliged to offer the vacancy to one of those SNAs.

 

“This is obviously subject to the SNA meeting specific competencies and/or requirements to meet the additional care needs of the pupil or pupils set out in the advertisement for the post,” he said.

 

Shane explained that SNAs who are made redundant, on or after 1st May 2020, and who haven’t obtained a new position, will remain on the panel, and will maintain panel rights until 30th April 2022, extending the opportunity to gain SNA employment.

 

He said SNAs on the panel may of course opt out, and have their redundancy payment processed, but said this won’t happen automatically.

 

Shane is advising SNA members to familiarise themselves with the contents of the new circular. “The wording and format have been changed to emphasise and highlight the new provisions for members and the new obligations on employers. This is important information for SNAs who may be facing redundancy.

 

“We’ve agreed a new governance provision for the first time and if members believe employers are not adhering to the new provisions, for instance if they’re not offering additional hours to existing part time SNAs, or not interviewing PF1 candidates in the first instance, or even seeking essential skills or qualifications higher than the agreed minimum, then members can report such incidents to us confidentially.

 

“Fórsa can now raise these issues with the department, or appropriate management body, without identifying individuals. It gives the union greater scope to highlight where such instances might be occurring,” he said.

 

You can access the circular 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.

SNAs campaign for respect
by Niall Shanahan
 

Fórsa commenced a new national campaign this week to highlight the value of the role of special needs assistants (SNAs) after the education department turned down the union’s claim for a new minimum qualification.


Fórsa commenced a new national campaign this week to highlight the value of the role of special needs assistants (SNAs) after the education department turned down the union’s claim for a new minimum qualification.

 

The SNA qualification has not been altered since 1979, and Fórsa wants it to be replaced with a relevant QQI level six qualification, or the equivalent. Many schools already seek a level six qualification, and don’t appoint new SNAs unless they hold a level five award.

 

In a letter sent to the union late last week, the department said there was no need to change the qualification.

 

In an earlier submission to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Fórsa said Ireland was out of step with international standards, as many other countries require candidates for SNA posts to have a college diploma or level six equivalent qualification.

 

The union’s head of education, Andy Pike, said the union’s 12,000 SNA members will now take part in the #RespectforSNAs campaign, to gain recognition and respect for the role of SNAs by establishing a new entrant qualification that reflects the complexities of the role. Click here to find out more about how you can take part in the campaign.

 

“The refusal of this claim by the education department demonstrates lack of respect for SNAs and the essential work they carry out in our schools.”

 

Andy said the department did concede that a review might be necessary at some point in the future, given the length of time since the qualifications were set. “But it hasn’t committed to any timescale, nor does it accept that a level six qualification is desirable, preferring instead to leave decisions to individual schools,” he said.

 

The first stage of the campaign will take place on social media, and will seek support and endorsements from parents associations, boards of management, school principals, teaching unions, advocacy groups and other stakeholders.

 

The next phase will commence at the start of new term in September, when SNAs will lobby elected representatives and stage a series of public events.

 

In its WRC submission, Fórsa highlighted that the minimum educational qualification for SNAs has not been reviewed or changed since the statutory SNA scheme was first established.

 

Andy said the role of SNAs had changed considerably since then, and most SNAs have educational achievements well above the current requirement for three Junior Certificate passes.

 

“Many SNAs hold qualifications at degree level, and most have achieved at least a level six qualification. More than 60% of the 500 SNA students on the current UCD training course have already achieved a minimum qualification of level six,” he said.

 

Andy said that the department has informed Fórsa that it would not be reviewing a decision not to accredit the UCD training course until the current students complete the programme. He added: “This means that 500 SNAs will complete the course without receiving an accredited UCD qualification. However, programmes for groups such as healthcare staff, social care staff and teachers are routinely accredited.

 

“UCD has said the SNA training course should be accredited at level six or level seven, yet the department refuses to give SNAs the recognition they deserve for completing the programme,” he said.

 

The union issued a special bulletin to its SNA members on Tuesday (29th June) to inform them of the department’s decision, and provide information about how to support and take part in the campaign.

 

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

Unions present case on HRA hours
by Bernard Harbor
 

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan has led the union team at an oral hearing of 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.’


Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan has led the union team at an oral hearing of 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.’

 

Kevin chairs the ICTU Public Services Committee (PSC), whose officers made the presentation on Wednesday morning (30th June).

 

The union submission argues that the removal of the additional hours, which were also introduced for many grades in non-commercial State agencies, need not lead to additional costs, reduced productivity or poorer service quality. It says the abolition of the hours can largely be achieved within the €150 million set aside for the purpose under the Building Momentum public service agreement.

 

This was contested by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), which represents employers in the process, in a separate hearing on Wednesday afternoon.

 

But unions say there has never been a systematic management attempt to measure any “supposed productivity benefit” of the additional hours. They argue that the size and shape of the public service, and the technological and work-practice environment in which it operates, have altered substantially since the hours were introduced.

 

“It has never been correct to assume that increased working time equals increased productivity. Indeed, civil service departments, including social protection, temporarily reduced the working day to seven hours from 7.24 during the Covid-19 pandemic, largely to facilitate social distancing. Productivity levels were at an all-time high during that period,” it says.

 

The union submission argues that 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 continued requirement to work the hours is seen as a throwback to a past period of enforced austerity, where a worker’s contribution was measured in terms of pain imposed rather than the gain added to public services and those who rely on them,” it says.

 

Though technically introduced by agreement, the PSC says the additional hours are perceived as having been imposed. “This is because they were explicitly presented as the sole alternative to a third pay cut for low-paid and middle-income public servants, who had already sustained catastrophic reductions in income.

 

“Crucially, the measure was seen as temporary in nature. This was underpinned by the narrative of the time, which expressed the need for additional pay bill savings as emergency measures necessary to meet binding new EU fiscal targets, which have subsequently been relaxed and largely discredited in social and economic discourse here and abroad,” it says.

 

The PSC submission points 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, the submission says 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 submission says the resolution of the issue is integral to the Building Momentum agreement. “Delivery on this commitment is an absolute requirement of Building Momentum, and the degree of progress on this matter during the lifetime of the current agreement will set the tone for any negotiations on a successor to it,” it argues.

 

Chaired by Kieran Mulvey, the Independent Body 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 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.

 

Read the PSC written submission HERE

 

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

New circulars address SNA substitution
by Shane Lambert
 

Two new circulars have been issued by the Department of Education which will address concerns for Fórsa’s SNA members in relation to substitution.


Two new circulars have been issued by the Department of Education which will address concerns for Fórsa’s SNA members in relation to substitution.

 

The first of these extends the provision for job-sharing SNAs to substitute for the forthcoming school year, while the other will allow employers to appoint a substitute SNA for a number of specific personal leave absences.

 

Job-sharing

Fórsa had made representations to the education department that SNAs who are job-sharing should have the opportunity to substitute throughout the pandemic, without having to relinquish their job-sharing arrangements.

 

Provision to do this actually helped minimise the spread of Covid infection by ensuring SNAs could provide substitution cover on days when they were scheduled to be off because of their job sharing arrangement. This reduced the need for substitutes from outside the school to come into the workplace.

 

Fórsa has raised the issue on differing rates of substitution pay between SNAs and teaching colleagues, and we’ll continue to pursue this.

 

Personal leave cover

The other new circular sets out provisions of personal leave such as marriage and civil partnership leave, wedding of immediate family/near relative/in-law, witness in court, legal separation and exam leave.

 

Under normal circumstances, substitute cover is not paid by the department for such absences. However, for the new school year, commencing in September, an employer may appoint a substitute SNA paid by the department or an education training board (ETB) for these types of personal leave absences.

 

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

Employers want staff vax info
by Bernard Harbor
 

Most employers want the right to ask their staff if they have received a Covid-19 vaccination, it has emerged.

 


Most employers want the right to ask their staff if they have received a Covid-19 vaccination, it has emerged.

 

A new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and Industrial Relations News found that 56% of employers want the right to ask, while 39% also want the right to seek proof of vaccination.

 

However, recent guidance from the Data Protection Commission warns that there is no legal basis for “unnecessary and excessive” collection of data regarding employees’ vaccination status. It says the processing of health data in response to Covid-19 should be guided by the Government’s public health policies. 

 

Almost half the employers surveyed by CIPD and IRN said they had no plan in place for staff who haven’t received a vaccine, though 38% said unvaccinated staff could continue to work from home.

 

A significant minority of 18% said unvaccinated staff “should not be permitted to enter the workplace,” while 8% said they should “forfeit the option to partake in blended working.”

 

Official Health and Safety Authority (HSA) guidance says that employers of workers who refuse Covid-19 vaccinations should undertake a risk assessment in cases where the staff member could be exposed to Covid-19 in the workplace.

 

The agency says some employers may have “no option” but to redeploy unvaccinated staff if they are “not safe to perform certain work tasks.”

 

In fact, a strong majority of those with access to the vaccination have had the jab, and the HSE’s chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry says Ireland is “the envy of Europe” in terms of vaccination uptake.

 

So far over 2.3 million people here have had a jab, and over 1.2 million have had two doses.

 

Fórsa official Dessie Robinson – a former HSA board member who is currently part of a National Economic and Social Council team examining the psychological impact of Covid – said existing health and safety regulation is robust in this area.

 

“The safety, health and welfare at work regulations require employers to make effective vaccines available if a biological agent gives rise to a risk. They also say vaccinations should be provided for free, and that the employee must be informed of the benefits and drawbacks,” he said.

 

But Dessie added that the regulations don’t explicitly state that an employee who refuses vaccination must be risk assessed and potentially redeployed.

 

“That’s why the HSA recommends the application of health and safety principles of risk assessment and avoidance of risk. Under the law, employers must provide a safe place to work ‘as far as is practicable.’ This means they must take all measures within their control to ensure the safety of the workplace.

 

“If an employee refuses vaccination, that decision increases the risk to them and their family. That would be very difficult to defend, especially considering the exceptional circumstances of this pandemic,” he said.

 

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

Ireland has widest pay gap
by Bernard Harbor
 

The wage gap between top earners and the low paid in Ireland is much wider than in any other high-income European country, according to an analysis by a union-backed economic think-tank.


The wage gap between top earners and the low paid in Ireland is much wider than in any other high-income European country, according to an analysis by a union-backed economic think-tank.

 

Using new European earnings data, the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) found that the top 10% of earners were paid almost four times what the bottom 10% receive. The Irish pay gap is almost twice that of Sweden.

 

In a blog published last week, NERI economist Ciarán Nugent called for State support for union wage bargaining, the extension of collective agreements to non-union parts of the economy, and a €2.10 increase in the national minimum wage.

 

The data also measures the purchasing power of hourly pay rates in different countries, and finds that Irish low and middle-earners fare badly compared to their European peers. But top earners in Ireland can buy more with an hour’s pay than their equivalents in ten high-income countries.

 

NERI also identified a widening gap between the hourly earnings of workers under 30 and those of their older colleagues. The average Irish full-time worker aged under 30 earned 72% of the average in 2006. By 2018, that had fallen to 65%.

 

Over that period, the age-related pay gap widened more in Ireland than any other of 11 high-income EU countries.

 

Fórsa has been urging the Government to support proposed new EU rules aimed at tackling low incomes through strengthened collective bargaining. The proposed Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages would require Ireland and other EU member states to take actions to increase collective bargaining coverage.

 

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

Remote work: Public sector falling behind
by Bernard Harbor
 

Over three months after Fórsa submitted a comprehensive claim, and sought negotiations to agree guidelines on the development and management of remote working in the civil and public service, the union has warned that the public sector risks becoming a laggard on the issue.


Over three months after Fórsa submitted a comprehensive claim, and sought negotiations to agree guidelines on the development and management of remote working in the civil and public service, the union has warned that the public sector risks becoming a laggard on the issue.

 

The union submitted its claim after months of informal engagements with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), during which officials repeatedly said management proposals would soon be tabled. But no proposal has yet been put to the union.

 

Union officials believe the lack of agreed public service-wide guidelines will create a disjointed approach in the run-up to a national ‘return to work’ later this summer.

 

They fear that individual civil service departments and public service employers will adopt different policies and practices. “This is already becoming the reality, and it’s bound to lead to confusion, anomalies and, possibly, disputes,” according to a spokesperson.

 

Ironically, the Tánaiste this week called on employers to “make remote and home working a much bigger part of working life.”

 

Launching the Government’s ‘making remote work’ campaign, along with updated guidance for employers, Mr Varadkar said: “I encourage employers and workers to talk to each other and agree a more permanent arrangement that suits both”.

 

The State campaign builds on last January’s launch of the Government’s national strategy, which pledged to make remote working the norm for 20% of public sector staff.

 

The new campaign was welcomed by ICTU general secretary Patricia King, who said the pandemic had awakened Ireland to the potential for remote working.

 

“While the 15-month working from home experiment has been fraught for some workers, for the vast majority it has been a positive experience and there is a huge appetite for remote and blended working arrangements when the Covid-19 restrictions end,” she said.

 

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

We’ll miss Peter’s energy, expertise and passion
by Bernard Harbor
 

Peter Nolan, head of Fórsa’s Local Government Division and Municipal Employees’ Division, retired this week after 42 years of trade union activism.


Peter Nolan retired this week after 42 years of trade union activism.

 

The head of Fórsa’s Local Government Division and Municipal Employees’ Division first got involved in the union when he started work in Dublin Corporation – now Dublin City Council – over 40 years ago. Before that, he was a student activist and a community activist.

 

Peter was a young president of the Local Government and Public Services Union (LGPSU), before and during the amalgamation that created IMPACT in 1991. He then became joint president of the newly-formed union.

 

He subsequently joined the union’s staff and worked in health, the civil service and education as well as the local authority sector. Peter also did stints as a regional official in the north-east, midlands and south-east.

 

When he successfully competed for the national secretary role, he first worked in the civil service division, before taking up his final Fórsa role in the local government sector.

 

Peter also represented the union’s local authority members in the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) for many years, and was recently elected vice–president of its local government committee.

 

In a message to local authority branches this week, Peter paid tribute to Fórsa activists, saying they held a very special position as leaders of one of the most influential trade unions in Ireland.

 

“You have shaped Irish economic and social policy over a considerable period of time, from the creation of the State to the marriage equality referendum,” he said.

 

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who first worked with Peter as an activist in the LGPSU’s Dublin Corporation branch, said Peter’s knowledge of, and belief in, trade unionism, local democracy and local services was unsurpassed.

 

“In recent years, the union’s two divisions in the local authority sector have benefitted tremendously from Peter’s energy, expertise, commitment and passion for trade unionism. But there is virtually no corner of the union where Peter’s positive influence hasn’t been felt, and his determination to take on inequality and injustice – in the workplace, in the community and across society – is second to none.

 

“Everybody in the union wishes Peter every happiness and success in whatever he chooses to do next,” he said.

Feature Article
Sign up for a four-day week
by Róisín McKane
 

Fórsa is urging members to back the four-day week campaign by signing up to a global petition to encourage employers to pilot a four day working week. 


Fórsa is urging members to back the four-day week campaign by signing up to a global petition to encourage employers to pilot a four day working week. Organised by the four-day week global foundation, the initiative seeks to identify and recruit employers to trial a shorter working week without loss of pay or productivity.

 

Fórsa’s director of campaigning and chair of Four-Day Week Ireland, Joe O’Connor, said the campaign will reach out to employers identified with significant employee support and encourage them to join the global pilot in 2022.

 

“Participating employers will receive the support of experts from the four-day week organisation and researchers at Harvard, Oxford, and Boston College in assessing pilot outcomes,” he said

 

The four day week campaign has long advocated for the gradual transition to a shorter working week for all workers, with increased productivity, better employee wellbeing and a reduction in carbon emissions cited as benefits. Joe said that now is the time to re-think when we work and encouraged members to sign the petition.

 

“With more signatures at your workplace and in your community, the greater our ability to recruit those companies to join the pilot. The pandemic made it clear that we can find a better work life balance but we must come together to push for a better future. A four-day week is better for business, better for workers and better for the environment,” he said.

 

Learn more about the campaign and sign your name 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.

Also in this issue
ICTU condemns anti LGBTI+ laws
by Mehak Dugal
 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has criticised new Hungarian laws that discriminate against LGBTI+ people, while claiming to protect children. The law illustrates that homophobia is “alive and well in the EU” it says.

 

ICTU also expressed disappointment at recent homophobic events in Waterford and Dublin, and said Ireland should maintain its leadership role in promoting LGBTI+ rights.

 

In the run up to this year’s virtual Pride parade, ICTU general secretary Patricia King said recent events were a reminder of the importance of Pride.

 

Surveys by LGBT Ireland and BelongTo have illustrated that 93% of LGBTI+ young people struggled with anxiety, stress, or depression during the Covid-19 restrictions, compared to 53% of the general youth population.

 

Many are confined to unsupportive home environments due to public health restrictions and more than half (56%) of LGBTI+ young people surveyed in 2021 said they were not fully accepted in their home environment.

 

The reports also highlight the struggles of LGBTI+ people who are additionally marginalised including LGBTI+ migrants, Traveller and Roma, refugees, older people, those living with a long-term disability, or other intersectional identities. 

 

LGBT Ireland additionally point out that the LGBTI+ community rely on community spaces, social connections, and the ability to take pride in their identities, together – all denied to them by the pandemic.

 

Congress also acknowledged that while the pandemic affected everyone, its challenges posed a greater risk for marginalised and vulnerable groups, including LGBTI+ people.

 

The trade union movement stands for dignity, respect and equality in the workplace and wider society. It has a proud record in the fight against workplace discrimination and harassment, while also being the early supporters of marriage equality.

 

Liberty Hall roof also proudly lit up in Pride colours last weekend as a symbol of the movement’s continued belief that our fortunes as working people rise and fall as one and its continued solidarity with the LGBTI+ members.

 

Read ICTU’s Pride statement HERE.

 

Read Fórsa's blog post for Pride month here.

 

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

 

 

Four-day week pilot launched
by Mehak Dugal
 

The Four-Day Week Ireland campaign has launched a new pilot programme to trial the effectiveness of reduced working time. The programme will offer resources to employers who agree to pilot a four-day work week.

 

The pilot programme, which will run in a number of countries including Ireland, the USA, Britain and New Zealand, will support employers who introduce a four-day week over a six-month period starting in January 2022.

 

It will give business supports, advice and mentoring to help organisations engaging with the scheme explore flexible working smoothly and successfully, as well as a training programme developed by companies who have already successfully implemented a four-day week.

 

The programme will also encourage collaboration with other participant companies in Ireland and internationally, and give access to world-class academic research and expert analysis on the impact of the four-day week.

 

Accompanying the pilot, an international petition was also launched to mobilise hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide to join the call for a four-day week and to make Ireland part of the global campaign. 

 

Speaking to Morning Ireland at the launch of the program, Fórsa General Secretary Kevin Callinan said: “We need to emerge from the pandemic with better lives, better work and working conditions and a better planet and the move to the four-day week is a huge step in that direction. The pilot will provide real evidence that this is the direction we need to go once we emerge from the pandemic.”

 

Kevin also said the Government also had a role in promoting the four-day week, and that the campaign wanted to see them increase their involvement and stake, as well as encouraging more in the public sector to adopt it.

 

Fórsa campaign director Joe O’Connor, who chairs the Four-Day Week Ireland campaign, said the launch represented “an exciting moment of change” for employers and employees, and that it was “not realistic” for continued productivity gains and technological advancements not to result in reduced work time.

 

“Covid has shown us that a new way of working is possible. A century after we invented the concept of a five-day week, we're not going back to business as usual,” he said.

 

Major Government-backed pilot programmes of the four-day working week are already being developed in Spain and Scotland, and the four-day week has been successfully introduced in a growing number of companies worldwide, including here in Ireland.

 

“Employers who have introduced a four-day week find that a shorter working week can benefit their employees physical and mental health, as well as bringing broader benefits to society, including by reducing carbon emissions and supporting gender equality,” said Joe.

 

Meanwhile, two Government departments have announced funding for research into the economic, social, and environmental impacts of a four-day working week specifically in an Irish context.

 

This follows the development of a significant international collaborative research partnership between Four-Day Week Ireland, University College Dublin and Boston College.

 

The research will examine the impact of a shorter working week on productivity, wellbeing job satisfaction, the environment, and the household division of labour. Up to €150,000 will be made available to support this research.

 

The Four Day Week Ireland campaign includes Fórsa, the National Women’s Council, Friends of the Earth Ireland, academics, and a number of Irish businesses including ICE Group and 3D Issue.

 

Keep up with developments HERE.

 

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

Private sector pay to rise by 3%
by Bernard Harbor
 

Private sector employers who have made plans intend to increase pay by just under 3% this year, according to a new survey. But only four-out-of-ten companies surveyed have so far finalised their plans for 2021 pay movements.

 

The research, by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and Industrial Relations News, revealed that higher increases – averaging over 3.6% - are planned in IT firms that have made decisions on pay. The planned average in retail and distribution is far lower at 2%.

 

The research, which surveyed 225 firms in unionised and non-union sectors, also found that 2020 pay increases were slightly lower than originally planned. On average, pay rose by 2.75% among the companies surveyed, compared to earlier plans for 2.8% increases.

 

Some 5% of companies reduced pay last year, though none had planned to do this when they were surveyed in early 2020. Just 1% of firms surveyed said they planned to cut pay this year.

 

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

PUP doesn’t discourage work
by Mehak Dugal
 

Some 95% of workers would be better off in work than on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP), according to latest research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

 

It also estimates that pandemic-related income loss would have been “twice the rate recorded” if it wasn’t for the pandemic support mechanisms proposed by unions and adopted by the Government.

 

While the research found that the availability of the PUP weakens financial incentives to work, it found there are still financial gains to be made from working.

 

The PUP was introduced to protect the incomes of those who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and was set at a higher rate than existing unemployment supports.

 

As a result of the introduction of the PUP and the employment wage subsidy scheme (EWSS), the estimated average income loss was more than halved, to 3%. While the PUP does slightly weaken the financial incentive to work, it also supports incomes more strongly further up the income distribution due to its higher rate compared to pre-existing supports, according to the study.

 

The ESRI warns that students and workers in the 18-24 age category and students are set to lose a significant proportion of their income when the pandemic-related schemes are wound down.

 

Childless workers are also at risk of a large income shock when these schemes are withdrawn, as they can’t access family income support schemes.

 

Meanwhile, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) social policy officer Laura Bambrick has argued that the withdrawal of the PUP must be based on concrete evidence.

 

She also refuted the few amplified claims by employers that workers would prefer not to work due to the PUP, and evidenced it with the fact that unemployment was on par with countries without a similar income support scheme.

 

Dr Bambrick said over 130,000 workers willingly closed their claims during the partial reopening. Citing figures from the Department of Social Protection, she added that “Under 25s were largest cohort to close PUP in each of the four weeks in June since partial reopening of hospitality began.”

 

ESRI echoed OECD recommendations that Covid income-support schemes should be wound down slowly, with job-search assistance and training opportunities for those in unviable subsidised jobs. It said better in-work supports could also improve financial incentives to work and continue to support the incomes of those most affected by the pandemic.

 

Generous short-time work schemes, such as those in operation in Germany and Switzerland, have shown to significantly protect employment during downturns, and could provide a suitable, flexible alternative to wage subsidies when the EWSS is fully withdrawn it says.

 

Minister Heather Humphreys recently announced that the deadline for closure of the payment for new applicants would be extended from 30th June to 7th July. ICTU says it wants the schemes to stay in place if there are any further delayed reopenings or future closures.

 

The PUP rates are set to be reduced to bring them more in line with pre-existing unemployment supports in September, and to be abolished entirely in February 2022.

 

Read the ESRI report HERE

 

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

Child labour on the rise
by Bernard Harbor
 

The number of children engaged in child labour has risen for the first time since records began, and 160 million children are now in work. And an increase of 8.4 million children over last four years has halted progress on the scourge of child labour first time in over two decades, reversing the downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016.

 

The figures mean that one-in-ten of the world’s children is working in 2021, the official ‘year of the elimination of child labour,’ according to statistics from UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has written to foreign minister Simon Coveney seeking an engagement to beef up Ireland’s efforts to stop the scandal.

 

ICTU wants the State to support the ‘global march against child labour,’ and establish Irish Aid programmes in partner countries. It also wants the Government to consider joining the Alliance 8.7 global initiative, which coordinates global action to achieve target 8.7 of the UN’s sustainable development goals, including the elimination of child labour by 2025.

 

The alliance works with stakeholders to encourage countries to accelerate efforts to address child labour. So far 22 countries have made commitments, including Irish Aid partners Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam.

 

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda have developed national action plans for the elimination of child labour, but poor resourcing is hampering implementation.

 

“The biggest setback has been the continuing pandemic which is reversing the progress made thus far, keeping children out of school and increasingly into work with the socio-economic impacts further pushing already vulnerable communities to the margins. National child labour laws and policies remain under-enforced and under-resourced,” she said.

 

Patricia called for a new ‘social contract’ for working people, with commitments to decent work, social protection and inclusive care and education services. “Parents who find themselves in deep poverty, with no access to quality education, feel they have no option but to utilise child labour in order to survive. No parent should have to make that choice,” she said.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – 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.