Fórsa has described the decision to exclude special needs assistants (SNAs) and other school-based staff from last week’s session of the Oireachtas Special Committee on the Covid-19 Response as “elitist and insulting.”

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike has recorded a special end-of-term video message for the union’s growing membership in the education sector.

Fórsa’s SNA branches have had early success with an initiative to include sign language interpretation in their video call information meetings. The initiative is designed to enhance the experience for SNAs from the deaf community.

The anticipated move towards more widespread remote working is an opportunity to look afresh at issues around working time and work-life balance, according to Fórsa.

More than a million people have now downloaded the Covid-19 tracker app, which was launched by the HSE on Tuesday.

Ireland’s CervicalCheck programme has restarted after a 17-week suspension due to Covid-19.

Over a million people are still dependent on State income supports, according to official figures, although 63,000 stopped claiming the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) last week.

Post-pandemic economic reconstruction is an opportunity to create a more equal society where all work is valued, according to president Michael D Higgins.