The Labour Court has ruled that HSE plans for health and social care professionals (HSCPs) to report to new children’s disability network managers (CDNMs) within new service structures should go ahead.

The union had written to the Court to say that professional associations in the sector considered the maintenance of existing reporting relationships – in which HSCPs report to heads of each of their individual disciplines – to be a ‘red-line’ issue.

Fórsa also said the involvement of non-HSE agencies in the delivery of health professional and social care services presented a risk that at least some public service jobs would be replaced under the new proposals.

But the Court said it could find “no reasonable basis for supporting a change to the role or responsibilities to be assigned to CDNMs in the new model.” It added that the HSE is responsible for the clinical governance of its services, and said the Court “has no role in impeding the HSE in discharging this responsibility.”

It also found that the proposed new arrangements wouldn’t reduce the public service status of HSCPs, or lead to an overall reduction in the number of public servants working in the professions.

The Labour Court made its recommendation after direct talks between the union and the HSE ended without agreement. Earlier, its chair Kevin Foley had allowed an adjournment for direct talks.

But he said he would rule that responsibility for deployment of clinical governance lies with the employer if he were asked to make a recommendation.

The union told professional associations – who have no role or expertise in industrial relations matters – that this would likely mean rejection of its submission, which opposed the HSE’s plans. But the associations’ position remained unchanged.

Fórsa’s head of health Éamonn Donnelly said he now expected the HSE to proceed with the appointment of CDNMs. “Fórsa had strongly recommended reaching direct agreement with the HSE rather than await a Court ruling, but the HSCP reps rejected this approach. I now expect the union to be made aware of operational issues as they arise and we will seek safe processes to safeguard the role of heads of discipline, which would have been the cornerstone of the agreement Fórsa was trying to achieve,” he said.

Fórsa has received formal confirmation that the health service job evaluation scheme for clerical and administrative posts remains unchanged.

The union sought clarification of the position following attempts by some managers to alter the terms under which the scheme operates. Some had sought extra layers of sign-off, and even the authority to decide whether or not an application should proceed for selection.

The union’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, reported the issue to the Health Sector Oversight Body (HSOB), which monitors the implementation of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA). He had indicated that Fórsa would ballot for industrial action if the agreed scheme were unilaterally altered.

“The HSE has confirmed that there is no change to the collective agreement under which the scheme operated. We now need to police this vigilantly.

“If managers in local areas deviate from the stated HSE position, the Health and Welfare divisional executive committee will sanction industrial action in that particular area without delay,” he said.

Click HERE for more information.

Fórsa and Siptu have written to the public expenditure minister Paschal Donohoe to demand that he convene a meeting of the Community Sector High Level Forum to address funding for the sector and pensions for its staff.

The unions questioned the accuracy of a response the minister made to a recent Dáil question. They believe he over-estimated the cost of honouring a Labour Court recommendation on pensions for community employment scheme supervisors.

The minister claimed that there had been extensive discussion of the issue at the Community Sector High Level Forum. But this is not the case.

The High Level Forum, which includes representatives of government departments, statutory agencies and trade unions involved in the community sector, is meant to meet quarterly, but it has not been convened for nearly two years.

Fórsa is in talks with HSE management about salary scales for a new ‘pharmacy executive manager’ post. The union will attend talks in the Workplace Relations Commission later this month.

The union’s health chief Éamonn Donnelly said other posts in the pharmacy structure would be filled once the salary scales were agreed.

Management says significant cost savings will be gained with the introduction of this new structure. Éamonn welcomed the move. “There are massive savings to be made through the introduction of this new structure,” he said.

Air pollution, ultraviolet exposure and extreme weather events are among the scenarios outlined in the first ‘climate change adaptation plan’ for the Irish health service. The plan, developed by doctors and departmental officials following a public consultation, sets out six main climate scenarios with the most profound implications for the health sector.

The plan explores the impact that environmental risks, including flooding and heatwaves, are likely to have on Ireland’s health and wellbeing and its health service infrastructure. The strategy then sets out a list of recommended actions.

The report acknowledges the pressures currently on our health care system, but warns that decisive action is needed to prepare for the profound impact of climate change on the nation’s health.

A newly established Climate Change Oversight Group will drive and oversee the implementation of the plan. Click HERE for more information.

Fórsa has postponed its forthcoming global solidarity school after its main speakers pulled out to work in the snap UK general election. Trade Union Congress (TUC) chief Frances O’Grady and Tony Lloyd, the Labour shadow secretary for Northern Ireland, who were scheduled to speak on Brexit, will instead be on the campaign trail.

Organisers say the event, originally scheduled for 15th and 16th November, will now take place early in the New Year. “For understandable reasons, our key speakers became unavailable at very short notice and it simply wasn’t possible to replace them with experts of a similar calibre in time for the event to go ahead. We’ll soon be announcing dates for the event early in 2020, with an excellent programme of speakers,” said one.

Fórsa’s Dublin North Health and Welfare branch has donated €10,000 to the Capuchin day centre for homeless people. Founded by Brother Kevin Crowley 50 years ago this year, the facility in Dublin 7 provides over 1,000 meals a day, with priority given to rough sleepers.

It also offers medical, optical and chiropody services, and supplies practical resources like nappies, baby food and shower facilities. Users can also avail of advice and information clinics.

At the presentation ceremony, Tony Stafford from the branch executive spoke candidly about why they chose to support the Capuchin day centre. Having briefly experienced homelessness himself, he said that there is such faith in Brother Kevin’s service and dedication within the community that he knows the funds will be best allocated by him.

Tony also emphasized the need to declare a housing and homeless emergency.

“Our branch has over 2,500 members and as we’re health and welfare orientated, it’s important for us to stand together, along with others, to make the government recognise this for the crisis it is,” he said.

Brother Kevin thanked the branch. “We operate on a ‘don’t dig and don’t ask questions’ basis. Love, dignity and respect for people in need is at the very core of what we do and this generous donation will enable us to continue that as we face into the harsh winter months,” he said.

Fórsa is a member of the National Homeless and Housing Coalition and supports the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s charter for housing rights.

The long-awaited auto-enrolment pension system is to be introduced on a phased basis from 2022, according to a recent announcement from the Department of Employment Social Affairs.

Under the new arrangement, all workers will be automatically enrolled in an occupational pension scheme – with contributions from their employer and the State, as well as the employee – when they start a job.

The scheme will apply to all employees aged between 23 and 60 earning more than €20,000 a year who are not already in a workplace pension scheme.

Under the scheme, workers will start paying contributions equal to 1.5% of salary, rising to 6% of salary in their tenth year of employment. Employers will be compelled to make matching contributions.

The level of Government contribution has yet to be finalised.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) social policy officer Laura Bambrick, who has given a broad welcome to the scheme, told RTÉ’s Today at Sean O’Rourke programme that the scheme had been discussed for nearly two decades. “Less than half of all workers have a pension, and in the private sector less than one in three workers have a pension”, she said.

Listen to Laura on RTÉ HERE.

Read the Congress guide to auto-enrolment HERE.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has teamed up with the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) to jointly demand that the Government commits to passing the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill before Christmas. The legislation has effectively stalled, making no progress since before the Dáil’s summer recess.

The bill would compel employers to report on the gender pay gap – the difference in the average pay of male and female staff – in their organisations. It would also require reporting on differences in bonus pay, part-time pay and the pay of men and women on temporary contracts.

Fórsa has been at the forefront of the trade union campaign for legislation on gender pay gap reporting, which it says would encourage employers into tangible action to bridge the gap. The union has criticised the slow pace of the legislative process.

NWCI director Orla O’Connor said the proposed legislation would properly shine a spotlight on organisations’ pay imbalance for the first time.

“The gender pay gap of 13.9% in Ireland has serious implications for a woman’s lifetime earnings,  her life and career decisions and her ability to live in older years with a decent income. The experience from other countries shows that harder measures are needed to combat pay inequality.

“While this legislation in and of itself will not close the gender pay gap, it is an extremely important step and one which needs to be implemented with haste,” she said.

David Joyce of ICTU believes that the bill can also advance Ireland’s commitment to the United Nation’s sustainable development goals.

“Government appointed both Congress and the NWCI to be sustainable development goal champion organisations. Goal five concerns achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, while goal eight commits to decent work for all. Therefore, we will continue to campaign for decent work and equality for all women and men in Ireland and beyond,” he said.

Trade unions have welcomed the launch of a workplace menopause policy by British TV station Channel 4. The initiative aims to support staff who experience the sometimes-debilitating side effects of the condition.

The development comes amid a growing recognition, among unions and HR specialists, of the need for employers to accommodate women who are dealing with menopause.

Recent research by the Welsh Trade Union Congress (TUC) indicates that many women feel their managers don’t recognise the problems associated with the condition, which can be exacerbated by ignorance and misunderstanding.

It found that many women find that inflexible working arrangements make it difficult to deal with problematic symptoms. This can result in increased sick leave or women cutting their working hours, which can mean missed training and promotional opportunities and a widening gender pay gap.

The Channel 4 policy aims to create a flexible working environment to help workers manage symptoms, while also destigmatising and normalising the subject.

Roughly a third of women have either experienced menopause or are currently going through it. Approximately 80% of women will experience noticeable symptoms. While some women will cope well with the physical and emotional changes, almost half find the symptoms difficult to deal with.

Fórsa Equality Officer Geraldine O’Brien said the Channel 4 move was progressive, and should be an example to other employers. “Unions are at the forefront of the fight for equality, working hard to ensure that working women have supports in place to remain healthy and safe in the workplace,” she said.

For more information on the Wales TUC survey click HERE.

Fórsa youth network will host this year’s Fórsa Quiz Night in Dublin on 12^th December and the proceeds will go to Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), a non-profit organisation supporting the trans community in Ireland.

The quiz commences at 5.30pm and costs €100 for a table of four. The youth network has asked branches to either take a table or donate €100 to support this worthy cause.

You can get further details HERE. 

To register a table, contact the youth committee here or send cheques (made out to the Transgender Equality Network Ireland) to Michael Kerrigan, Fórsa, Nerney’s Court, Dublin DO1 R2C5.