In a wide ranging speech to Fórsa's biennial conference, general secretary Kevin Callinan told delegates that “social dialogue is meaningless unless it produces answers to real problems.”
Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan addressed conference on Thursday morning. In a wide-ranging speech Kevin declared that Fórsa will take a lead role in building a better Ireland. He said: “Everything we have, we won by organising. Now we have to do more than we ever have before. We need to mobilise on the issues that will make our country a better place to live and work.”
Speaking about the existing process of social dialogue with Government Kevin described it as a “flawed and unequal” relationship and told delegates that “social dialogue is meaningless unless it produces answers to real problems.”
Kevin said "successive governments have pursued an approach based mainly on 'ticking the box' of consultation and presenting information on their own plans."
He added: “Sure - they listen to what we have to say, but it’s clear that our influence is very limited. The fact that tax relief on union subscriptions hasn’t been restored tells a lot about what they really think of us.
“The days of simply inviting us in when they want to talk or to pay lip service to our member’s concerns have to stop. When a relationship is so flawed and unequal, the best thing you can do is leave. I’m not interested in being part of it anymore,” he said.
Kevin said Fórsa members are interested in building a better Ireland, and that while the country has many social problems, it is nevertheless a wealthy country, and that these problems can be fixed.
He said the issues that matter to members would drive the union and “together we’ll make sure that government hears us.
“However, this requires a willingness on the part of the political system and the permanent government to park ideological mindsets.
“It will require a shift in how they interact with the trade union movement. It must be urgent, focused and involve us. It also requires a move away from short termism to a more long-term vision for our country,” he said.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
Fórsa has a new team of officers, who were elected by the union’s branches at this year's national conference. They will hold the positions for the next two years.
Electing a new officer board is one of the most pivotal events at our union’s biennial conference.
Ballot boxes in the presidential election opened at 9.30am on Thursday 16th May, closing just before noon that morning. Votes were counted as the morning session continued. The subsequent elections continued throughout conference, wrapping up with the announcement of the election of vice presidents as conference closed on Friday 17th May.
Martin Walsh of the Louth Health and Local Government branch saw off competitors to become Fórsa’s new president.
Martin said “It is humbling to be trusted with the role of President of Fórsa. We have so many talented and committed members working for better workplaces, a better country, and a better world. I look forward to working hard to live up to their expectations.”
Julie Flood of the Dublin City branch was successful in her bid to become the new senior vice president.
Outgoing president Michael Smyth of the School Completion Programme branch was elected honorary treasurer, passing on the chain of office to his successor with grace.
On passing the presidency to his successor, Michael said “The peaceful transition of power is the cornerstone of democracy. It was a great honour to be President of Fórsa. I am grateful for all the people I met during my time as President, and I am very proud of the things we achieved together. I wish Martin all the best and have great hopes for Fórsa under his stewardship.”
Michael Crowe of the DSP Executive Grades branch and Tara Horigan of the Health & Safety Authority branch rose to the top in their race to become elected as vice presidents.
The election was decided through the votes of branch delegates. Officers will hold the positions for the next two years.
Under Fórsa rules, each of the union’s divisions must all be represented on the five-person officer group, with the Local Government division and Municipal Employees’ division counting as one constituency for this purpose.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
Members overwhelmingly voted to accept a proposed pay deal, with almost 98% deciding in favour.
On Wednesday 8th May a ballot of Fórsa members in An Post closed. Members overwhelmingly voted to accept a proposed pay deal, with almost 98% deciding in favour.
The deal, brokered by the staff side unions comprising of Fórsa, the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS) and the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU), provides a 4% pay increase backdated to the 1st of January 2024, a 3% increase from January 2025 and a final 1% increase in June of 2025.
This two-year deal runs to the 31st of December 2025.
Fórsa assistant general secretary Eugene Gargan said the pay increase was a welcome increase for members, particularly when members’ pay has decreased in value due to exceptional economic inflation.
Eugene also emphasised the benefit of unions working together, saying “This deal also shows what can be achieved for workers when three well established unions work together for the collective benefit of all our members.”
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
More Power to You, a coalition of Fórsa, SIPTU, and Connect, launched its local election manifesto this week, calling for stronger local government and local services, and more effective local democracy.
More Power to You, a coalition of Fórsa, SIPTU, and Connect, launched its local election manifesto on Wednesday 22nd May, calling for stronger local government and local services, and more effective local democracy.
Political party representatives from across the political spectrum attended the event to hear about trade union priorities ahead of the upcoming local elections.
The local elections take place on Thursday 7th June. Close to 2,000 candidates are running in 31 local authorities. In total, there are 949 seats to be filled across 166 local electoral areas.
This manifesto spells out the trade union coalition’s priorities for the campaign across five areas: Democracy, Waste, Water, Housing, Energy & Climate.
Speaking at the launch, Fórsa national secretary Richy Carrothers underlined the importance of effective local government in a democracy, and the importance of bringing vital public services back under the control of local authorities.
He said: “Workers in local authorities all around Ireland provide public services that are essential to our everyday lives. These services are underfunded and undervalued.”
“The network of local services and amenities across Ireland are the fabric which bind society together. In our schools, homes, parks, and community centres, they provide the roots that tie our communities together.”
This manifesto calls for an enhanced role for local government in service provision, in decision-making and in rebuilding public confidence in democracy. It calls for:
Better funding for local authorities
Directly elected mayors
Return of waste collection services to local authorities
Referendum on public ownership of water
Local authority-led cost rental public housing
Increased local authority direct labour for homer energy upgrades and maintenance
Local authority-led community ownership of renewable energy projects
Head of campaigns Grace Williams urged members to ask candidates running for election if they support the trade union coalition’s priorities. She said: “When candidates knock on your door in the weeks ahead, ask them what they will do to support workers in local authorities and to improve local government.”
The deal runs for 3 years, with the last pay increase under this agreement will conclude in January 2027.
Fórsa, working with the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), recently concluded a pay deal for members in Eir.
The deal delivers 6.5% for lower paid earners in the first year and pay increases of 11% on basic pay over a 33-month period for employees who earn up to 50,000 euro. Employees who earn up to 70,000 will receive a 10% increase.
The current pay deal which expires in June, will see the first of the phased pay increases commence on the 1st July 2024. The deal runs for 3 years, with the last pay increase under this agreement concluding in January 2027.
Commenting on the outcome, Fórsa assistant general secretary David Field said: “We welcome the acceptance of the pay deal which will give our members 6 pay increases over the life time of the agreement.”
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
Disabilities were in the spotlight this year at conference, with a number of motions calling on Fórsa to campaign to make the public service as welcome a place as possible for people with disabilities.
Disabilities were in the spotlight this year at conference, with a number of motions calling on Fórsa to campaign to make the public service as welcome a place as possible for people with disabilities. Grace Doyle and Brian Dooley were among members who spoke candidly about their own experiences. Both Grace and Brian were featured talking about their motions in the Irish Times.
A motion put forward by the Transport Executive Grades Branch noted that while government will be raising the employment target for people with disabilities from three to six percent, the actual percentage of people with disabilities in Ireland is 22%. The motion called for higher, more nationally representative targets to incentivise the provision of reasonable accommodations and decrease stigma.
Grace Doyle, Meath health and local government branch, told conference of how human resources fought “tooth and nail” against providing some of the supports she needed to work.
Despite her line manager being supportive, Grace had great difficulty getting help with things like hearing aids which she needs to replace periodically due to the degenerative nature of her condition. Even smaller accommodations such as a quiet closing bin, which would not be picked up by hearing aids, proved difficult.
This inspired her motion calling for Fórsa to petition all public and civil service bodies to provide protected funding for the purchase of disability aids.
“I’m good at my job and I just wanted to be able to keep doing it well,” Grace said. “But it took a long time to get the accommodations I needed. Initially, I just hit a brick wall."
Elsewhere a motion was put forward by Fórsa Youth member, Brian Dooley, who identifies as an Autistic ADHDer, calling on Fórsa to pursue the adoption of policies in the public sector that recognise the unique nature of communication-based disabilities and provide necessary accommodations.
Brian also experiences rejection sensitivity dysphoria, which is yet to be recognised as a condition on its own. It is a symptom of social difficulties experienced while growing up neurodivergent. These difficulties often include social alienation and exclusion due to the natural behaviours of neurodivergent people not being accepted by neurotypical peers. This can have the long-term effect of creating a sensitivity to rejection and a more general social anxiety.
Due to the unique nature of his communication Brian has been allowed to not take phone calls from members of the public and focus exclusively on addressing public concerns through email.
He found in previous employments where his communication style was not accommodated, that it would be used to negatively evaluate his performance.
With his motion, Brian wants to “establish fair standards with the aim of creating a more inclusive and better workplace for all."
He advocates for the introduction of a neuro-affirmative model in public sector workplaces, in hope of increasing recruitment and retention of people with disabilities.
Brian says: “In many cases neurodivergent employees have unique skills and perspectives that are underutilised and underappreciated in professional environments."
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
700 delegates came together for Fórsa’s biennial conference last week. Delegates elected a new officer board and decided union policy for the next two years.
700 delegates came together for Fórsa’s biennial conference last week. Delegates elected a new officer board and decided union policy for the next two years.
Following a stunning performance by singer Tolü Makay on Wednesday evening, conference got underway with outgoing President Michael Smyth's address, adoption of standing orders and motions on housing. Watch the highlights of Day 1 here.
Michael’s speech emphasised the importance of how we all connect to one another, saying "Connection lies at the heart of everything we do as a union." He noted that Fórsa is "now a greater force to be reckoned with – more so than at any other time in our shared history."
Michael ended with a moving rallying call to delegates, saying "Let’s help to make life what it should be for every human being."
Motions on housing took centre stage on Wednesday evening. Fórsa activist Anne Marie Ryan, from the Westmeath health and welfare branch, called on delegates to support the union’s active engagement with government to advocate for “a meaningful and workable resolution to the housing crisis. We want the union to fight for stricter regulations on landlords, developers and commercial funds to ensure fair and affordable housing options for all workers,” she said.
Helen Linehan, from Fórsa’s Cork general clerical branch, said her branch had brought its motion to the conference because so many of her younger work colleagues were still living at home with parents or contemplating emigration because they could not find a home.
Helen said too many members in civil and public services continue to struggle with high rents and are forced to live further away from their work in order to find more affordable accommodation: “The current situation cannot continue. Workers cannot afford escalating housing costs, and this poses a genuine threat to our public services,” she said.
Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan addressed conference on Thursday morning. In a wide-ranging speech Kevin declared that Fórsa will take a lead role in building a better Ireland. He said: “Everything we have, we won by organising. Now we have to do more than we ever have before. We need to mobilise on the issues that will make our country a better place to live and work.” You can read more about Kevin’s speech in a story below.
Conference also welcomed two international keynote speakers on Thursday. Esther Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), and Fórsa member, congratulated members on their achievements, particularly in regard to the campaigns to protect library workers and for school secretaries pay and conditions. She told delegates that every union in Europe is connected, members are like links in a chain.
Speaking ahead of the European elections on 7th June 2024, she said: “Workers and our trade unions are the beating heart of Europe, our activists and shop stewards are our front-line defenders, standing up every day for the pay, terms and conditions of our members but also for the fundamental human right to belong to a trade union and to act collectively in our defence of working people.”
Daniel Bertossa, president of Public Services International (PSI) spoke about the work public sector unions across the world do to protect their members.
On Thursday morning motions on pay were debated, with motions on new entrants pay scales being carried, among a number of motions on pay provisions. Later in the day internal union organisation motions were taken in closed session. Delegates debated issues ranging from the use of plain english in union communications, the creation of LGBTQI+ officers and how the union can best support reps. International policy motions closed off the day's debates with the majority of motions focused on the war in Palestine. Watch the highlights of Thursday here.
Also, on Thursday four of our members working in local authorities spoke to both The Irish Times and the Irish Independent about the experience of dealing with aggressive and abusive behaviour by service users and far right agitators. Rose, Michael, Sorcha and Róisín eloquently told of the impact this workplace harassment has had on them and their colleagues, with Rose saying “It’s not our job to be censors”.
It was standing room only at the fringe meetings held by the Skills Academy and the Membership Unit on Thursday, while fringes on Friday focused on Justice for Colombia, the inaugural Members’ awards, high participation unions, and the Asian hornet infestation.
The final day of conference kept the pace up, with delegates speaking in debates on terms and conditions, union organisation and disability in the workplace. You can watch the highlights of Day 3 here.
On Friday afternoon a moving and emotional speech was made by the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland. Delegates welcomed the Ambassador with a prolonged standing ovation, before listening to her impassioned plea for continued support.
Addressing conference, she said “We the Palestinians deserve to live, deserve to be viewed just as worthy as other human beings, for our right to self-determination to be acknowledged.”
Thanking delegates for their attendance and participation at Conference Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said: “We’re building for a better union and a better Ireland. I’m really hopeful for the next two years based on the debates we had and the decisions we made.”
This year at conference, celebrating our members was front and centre. In addition to the usual Distinguished Service Awards, the inaugural Fórsa Members’ National Awards took place, and for the first time a member was honoured for their service with an honorary lifetime membership.
The Distinguished Service Awards are a way to honour members for their years of service and hard work for the betterment of their fellow members. The awards were presented during conference over two ceremonies on the Wednesday and Thursday. Awards were presented to 24 people from across all divisions and around the country. A full list of winners can be found here.
It was standing room only for the inaugural Fórsa Members’ National Awards. The Brehon suite was packed with colleagues and well-wishers when the awards took place as a fringe event at lunch on the Friday.
The awards were presented by outgoing President Michael Smyth who was delighted to have the opportunity to highlight members’ dedication to their union.
On the new awards, Michael said: “The Distinguished Service Awards are an incredibly important way in which we celebrate some our most committed members, but the people who win one usually have 20 to 30 years of service under their belt. We wanted these awards to recognise the work being done right now, often by some of our newer members.”
There were seven winners across a diverse range of categories, including recruitment, delivering for members, and campaigning. A full list of winners can be found here.
On stage at the INEC, Alan Hanlon was recognised with the first Fórsa honorary lifetime membership. A member for 39 years, Alan has been an active member since the 1990s. First with the CPSU, then for 24 years with PSEU. and finally with Fórsa after its creation.
Alan served on the PSEU executive and took part in the negotiations which led to the formation of Fórsa.
He would become one of the signatories to the document of amalgamation, and one of the first vice-presidents. He would also serve on the Civil Service DEC, where he was an ever-present advocate for restoring the pre-Haddington Road hours.
Speaking at the presentation of Alan’s honorary lifetime membership, Cormac Donoghue said “Alan is a proud union member. He has always put the interest of members to the front of the decisions he took and opinions he gave. He has invested himself into issues without taking things personally."
Reacting to the award Alan said: "I am deeply privileged and greatly humbled to be the first honorary life member of Fórsa.I was astounded by the amount of people who contacted me to express their heartfelt congratulations. I hasten to add that it is down to the efforts of so many individuals, past and present that I have arrived at this moment. Thank you, one and all!"
Fórsa’s Skills Academy launched their new training calendar at last week’s national conference for the September 2024 – Summer 2025 period.
Each course or workshop will open for applications approximately 8 weeks in advance of delivery, to ensure there is sufficient time to secure paid release from each participant’s workplace. The link to each course will be sent directly to each branch chairperson, secretary, and training officer, and to all Fórsa officials under separate cover.
Fórsa’s Director of Membership Training and Development Fiona Dunne called on branches to circulate the information to all branch reps.
“We’re delighted to launch our new training calendar. We’re hopeful that members will like what’s on offer and sign up, so it’s really important that branches circulate registration links to all their officers and workplace representatives,” she said.
Fiona encouraged any new members to apply for the Fórsa induction courses, a very useful tool in the union’s training arsenal, through the new Skills Academy webpage on the Fórsa website.
“Applications are always welcome for the Fórsa induction course (formerly Fórsa 101) and for our Lunch and Learn series, from all members. You can apply directly from the website for these courses. You can also find out more about what we do and what other courses are available,” she said.
If you have any queries regarding any aspect of training for workplace representatives and other Fórsa activists, you can contact the Skills Academy skillsacademy@forsa.ie. And make sure to keep up to date with the Fórsa bulletin which regularly features upcoming training programmes.
Finally, a reminder of our next Live Lunch and Learn which will take place next Friday 31 May at 1pm. The topic of this month’s Live Lunch and Learn, will be - Domestic Violence Awareness. This session will be led by Hannah Wayte, Project Lead Trainer, Women’s Aid. You can register here.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
The European elections take place on Thursday 7th June 2024. These elections take place every five years on the same day as the local elections. Ireland elects 14 MEPs to the European Parliament from three constituencies: Dublin (4 seats), Midlands North-West (5 seats), and Ireland South (5 seats).
Ahead of polling day, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) is hosting hustings for candidates in each constituency. They will take place next week in Cork, Galway and Dublin.
These hustings offer trade union members the opportunity to meet the candidates running for Europe, and directly hear from them about the kind of European Union they want to support. Will they fight for better jobs and to end precarious work? Will they support trade unions, collective bargaining, and social dialogue?
Working with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), ICTU has created a manifesto for the European elections which you can read here.
It calls on voters in Ireland to make their voice heard for a fairer and more social Europe, and includes policy priorities on industrial policy, the Just Transition, a rights-based approach to migration and asylum, and a more democratic Europe.
Follow the links below to register for these events:
Cork: Monday, 27th May, 6.00pm – 7.30pm, SIPTU, Connolly Hall, Lapps Quay. Register on Eventbrite
Galway: Tuesday, 28th May, 6.00pm – 7.30pm, Clayton Hotel, Monivea Road, Ballybrit. Register on Eventbrite
Dublin: Wednesday, 29th May, 6.00pm – 7.30pm, Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Square. Register on Eventbrite
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
Fórsa is calling on members to support the Raise the Roof campaign ahead of the local elections on June 7th by asking candidates to endorse the housing pledge.
The campaign brings together a wide range of unions and other civil society bodies to demand action on the housing crisis, which is now one of the ‘longest and most severe’ in Ireland’s history, according to campaigners.
The Raise the Roof housing pledge calls for candidates to commit to:
Delivery of secure and affordable homes for all
A major increase in public housing targets and a leading role for Local Authorities in building the homes people need
Better security for tenants by tackling high rents and unfair evictions
Greater powers for Local Authorities to tackle the scourge of vacant homes
Work to combat the divisive lies on housing spread by extreme elements.
You can contact your local election candidates and ask them to support this online pledge by clicking here. This link will take you through to the constituency listing and then to candidates in your area, where you can select individual candidates to mail directly, or simply email the preset call to action to all candidates in your constituency.
The campaign is also providing a set of graphics for noticeboards and social media. You can access them here and here.
Raise the Roof says that we are paying a high cost for the high price of housing, and that we need a housing system reset. Ask your local election candidates to take action today and sign the pledge.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
Our members are our union's strength. Watch the Conference 2024 video featuring members from all our divisions talking about what you have achieved over the past two years. A huge thanks to Florie, Noreen, Richard, Deirdre, Hazel, Robert, Paula, Mark, Mick, Christina, Helena and Linda for taking part.
We have made number of other videos for conference this year. You can watch them all on our Youtube channel.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
The Health and Safety Authority has launched an anonymous online survey for safety representatives.
This anonymous online survey has been developed by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). The purpose of this survey is to obtain information about consultation, as well as the perception and role of safety representatives. The HSA will use the insights from this survey to promote the safety representative’s role and to develop resources.
This survey can be completed by employers, employees, safety representatives, safety officers, and occupational safety and health professionals. It will be open until early June.
It will take approx.15 minutes to complete. All questions are mandatory. The information you provide will be processed and analysed by the HSA. A summary report will be available to download on the HSA website.
Encouraging members to take the time to complete the survey Fórsa national secretary and ICTU Vice President Katie Morgan said: "This type of stakeholder consultation provides a valuable opportunity to provide feedback to the Health and Safety Authority so that they can improve the resources they provide to safety representatives”.
