A series of information meetings will take place in September and October across the country to inform NETB members of updates, including the new job evaluation claim and the lack of progress with the organisation design process.

Your Fórsa representative will be available to answer any questions and discuss the cost-of-living crisis and the talks on the next Public Service Pay Agreement.

It will also be an opportunity for members to explore the range of benefits that Fórsa has to offer.

Head of Fórsa’s education division, Andy Pike said that the information meetings are hugely beneficial and informative to members: “As we know, the ETB sector is diverse and provides bespoke services to each region being served. To better inform members we have decided to run these meetings.

“We will discuss on-going disputes such as our job evaluation claim and the standardisation of posts across the ETBs, but will also delve into ways to enliven house committees and to recruit more members.”

You can find further information on these meetings HERE.

Last Thursday 14th September was a momentous day for hundreds of school secretaries working across the country as it was the first time they were paid through the Department of Education’s payroll.

The agreement, negotiated by Fórsa, significantly improves incomes and paid leave arrangements for school secretaries, who have been undervalued for years.

Chairperson of Fórsa’s school secretaries’ branch Luisa Carty hailed the development as a “momentous day for us all” and “one I won’t forget.”

You can watch her explain the significance of the campaign and this win for our members in the video below. 

Secretaries’ salaries will now be averaged over 52 weeks, including the cash value of job seekers benefit, which means secretaries will no longer have to sign on for unemployment benefits during school holidays. This new arrangement went live as soon as staff were transferred to the Department’s payroll.

Fórsa’s education organiser Seamus Ryan said: “After 45 years and intensive campaigning by our school secretaries branch over the past four years, school secretaries pay, terms and conditions are now back under the Department of Education and not under local school Boards of Management.

"This provides secretaries with a real pay scale with genuine progression for the first time, along with clarity on what their pay and entitlements will be for a role that is vital to the smooth running of schools. However, this is not the end of this campaign. Secretaries still need to be brought into line with the rights and entitlements that Special Needs Assistants and secretaries working in ETBs have as standard. in areas like pensions, public service status and bereavement leave. That’s why we are asking and encouraging secretaries who have hung back on joining Fórsa to take the leap and do so now, it is only together that we will bring this campaign home for all secretaries”. 

Fórsa’s school secretaries branch have produced a detailed guide to explain the new Department of Education payslip.

In this document you will find a brief explanation and a breakdown of payslip dates, payslip points and other important information relating to this new arrangement, as well as a sample departmental payslip.

This momentous win for our school secretaries is just the beginning. Working together we can win on pensions, bereavement leave, and so much more.

Over 350 special needs assistants (SNAs) took part in member training organised by the North Dublin North Leinster (NDNL) SNA branch.

The training, provided in conjunction with Progressive College, was about behaviours that challenge.

Fórsa activist and branch secretary Jesslyn Henry thanked those that took part in the in person and virtual session.

“The two-hour session was extremely successful and demonstrated that SNAs are continuously looking for training opportunities to further their understanding of the needs of the children we work with,” she said.

Jesslyn explained that branches offer training at different times and encouraged members to get in touch.

“We would love to hear from you on what topics you think would be beneficial so please contact your branch to let us know,” she said.

Members can find contact details for their branch here.

The Fórsa Skills Academy is the home for all of Fórsa’s training and development initiatives, offering you the practical training you need. We have trainings at all levels running in the months ahead. Take a look and sign up for the one that suits you best.

Fórsa 101 - New Members Information Session

Fórsa 101 is a short information session which takes place completely online. It’s a great way for new members to better understand the structure of the Union, how it works and how to get more involved.

The next sessions will be held on Wednesday, 11th October - one in the morning at 9:30am and one that evening at 6pm. The sessions will be between 2 to 2 1/2 hours long.

*Special Note to SNAs - due to issues in relation to release from the Department of Education for some courses, SNAs should only apply for the evening course.

Those interested in attending must complete the online application form here. The closing date for registration is: Friday 29th September 2023 at 13:00.

Foundational Workplace Representative Training programme

The Foundational Workplace Representative Training programme is a three-day course for newly elected workplace representatives, or those with less than 2 years representative experience and who have never received Fórsa training previously (except for the Fórsa101 information session). It covers all the basic skills and information that new representatives require to have confidence in the role and get through the first year.

Topics include:

• Branch structure and roles of the Executive Committee
• The role and responsibilities of the Workplace Representative
• Organising and recruiting members
• An introduction to Health & Safety
• An overview of Equality in the Trade Union agenda
• Industrial Relations, handling members' problems and local representation

This is an essential first course for any members undertaking a representative role and is offered in 7 locations throughout the country. Applications will close when the courses have been filled in each location.

Upcoming Foundational training dates:

Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28th September GALWAY

Tuesday 24th - Thursday 26th October CORK

Tuesday 28th - Thursday 30th November LIMERICK

Tuesday 27th - Thursday 29th February SLIGO

Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28th March WEXFORD town (Local Trade Union Centre)

Tuesday 23rd - Thursday 25th April Woodford, Santry, DUBLIN

You can register for the Foundational Workplace Representative Training programme HERE.

Expanded Workplace Representative Training programme

The Expanded Workplace Representative Training programme is open to those who have more than 2-3 years’ experience in the role of Workplace Representative and have NOT RECEIVED ANY training previously.

The first module focuses on Organising, on day 1 and Industrial Relations on day 2, and takes place on consecutive days on the first week of the month from September through April (except December), across all locations. The specific dates and locations are listed on application form and we would ask applicants to choose the nearest location to them to ensure as many representatives as possible gain access to these courses.

There are also two specialised modules, on Health and Safety, and on Equality. Workplace Representatives and Branch Executive Officers with these specific responsibilities are eligible to apply (provided they have not undertaken this training previously). The dates of these courses are also listed on the application form.

You can register to attend the expanded training programme here.

Upcoming Expanded training dates:

Wednesday 4th - Thursday 5th October 2023 Local Trade Union Centre, WEXFORD TOWN

Wednesday 1st - Thursday 2nd November 2023 SLIGO

Wednesday 10th - Thursday 11th January 2024 NERNEY'S COURT, DUBLIN

Wednesday 7th - Thursday 8th February 2024 LIMERICK

Wednesday 6th - Thursday 7th March 2024 CORK

Wednesday 3rd - Thursday 4th April 2024 GALWAY

Dear members,

We are now little more than two weeks away from Budget Day 2024. While the Government will be keen to unveil a financial package that improves its standing with the electorate, the Budget must respond to the continuing challenge of inflation.

Fórsa’s priority is to make sure that the Budget, and upcoming public pay talks, bridge the gap between wages and accumulated inflation.

As every Fórsa member will know, inflation has continued to erode our household spending power in 2023. Every household feels it. In back-to-school costs, groceries, fuel and other basics.

While the rate of inflation has recently shown signs of easing, the cost of living keeps going up, and the value of the money in our pockets can’t keep up.

The most recently published inflationary figures further reveal that, despite being introduced to curb inflation, rising mortgage interest rates are helping to fuel inflation. This means that rising mortgage interest rates have combined with continuing corporate profiteering to erode wages.

Union-negotiated pay deals - including the 2022 review of the Building Momentum public service pay deal - have played a vital role in meeting this challenge, but there remains a gap, of close to 10%, between wages and accumulated inflation over the past three years.

While the parties of government have been keen to publicly dangle the prospect of tax cuts in recent weeks, it’s highly unlikely that any such measures will make much of an impression on household incomes, while inflation would quickly wipe out their value.

If the warnings about a possible fall in corporation tax receipts were to be realised, any cuts in income tax or USC may turn out to be temporary.

In any case we can see the need for more spending on services like housing, health and education. Our growing population requires more investment in most public services including childcare and social protection. Improvements that reduce the need to pay or to obtain services privately can help with the cost of living.

At the Labour Employer Economic Forum I have made it clear to the Taoiseach and other senior members of the government that the withdrawal of supports, such as the household energy credit, will place even more pressure on wage bargaining to make good the losses.

It is clear that new pay deals that address the impact of inflation on workers in the public and private sectors will be required to prevent a long-term decline in living standards.

Fórsa expects pay talks, on a successor to the Building Momentum public service pay agreement, to commence in the coming weeks, and we will continue to update you on that process as it develops.

Fórsa’s commitment is to continue to win positive results on behalf of its members. We’ve delivered our message to Government on what Budget 2024 must include to address the gap between inflation and current wages. In entering national pay talks, we are determined to ensure any remaining gap is closed.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours,

Kevin Callinan

General Secretary.

Fórsa’s Skills Academy will host its next Lunch & Learn on Friday 29th September from 1–2pm on the topic of Menopause health and you can sign up here.

This month’s live Lunch and Learn is a great opportunity for members to gain a better understanding of menopause health. We are delighted to welcome guest speaker Dr Caoimhe Hartley, as our guest speaker this month.

Dr Caoimhe is a GP and specialist in women’s health and menopause accredited by the British Menopause Society and the North American Menopause Society. She is also the Clinical Lead of the Complex Menopause Clinic in the Rotunda Hospital and the Founder and Clinical Lead of Menopause Health in Dalkey, Co Dublin. She also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the European Menopause Society.

The aim of the Skills Academy Lunch & Learn series is to provide members with the knowledge to support them as union members or representatives whilst supplementing the broad range of training programmes currently being offered by Skills Academy. Whilst these sessions are predominantly for information, there will be opportunities for participants to ask questions via the chat function.

Closing date to register for this session is Wednesday, 27th September, at 1pm.

You can register to attend the one-hour lunchtime session here.

Fórsa have recently donated €1,000 to the Wexford Marine Watch (WMW), a voluntary organisation which provides suicide prevention patrols along Wexford Quays, Estuary & Harbour.

WMW are a registered charity established in December 2012 with the primary purpose to contribute to suicide prevention by identifying and intercepting vulnerable people who may be in difficulty before they harm themselves, by giving them immediate support and to get them to safety as soon as possible.

Previously, in tragic instances many people in difficulty were not intercepted in time and those who entered the water got swept away by the very strong tidal flows in the harbour. This often resulted in drawn out lengthy searches by voluntary agencies, sometimes for weeks or even months, increasing distress & heartbreak for the families, relatives, search teams, and the wider community.

Fórsa Assistant General Secretary, Paul Moyer, who is a volunteer with the WMV, thanked Fórsa and its members for making this donation: “It is your membership fees that will directly impact in a positive way the communities, families, friends, and work colleagues who rely on Wexford Marine Watch. The donation will be put towards the running, training, and operations of the organisation.”

He added “The Wexford Marine Watch are extremely appreciative of the generous donation from Fórsa. Members across all divisions will benefit from this.”

If any branch would like to donate to the Wexford Marine Watch they can do so by contacting Paul at pmoyer@forsa.ie.

Fórsa has teamed up with Cornmarket to offer our members a fantastic opportunity to win a family holiday.

Details of the competition and information about the Fórsa Salary Protection Scheme, which is administered by Cornmarket and underwritten by New Ireland Assurance Company, are detailed here.

The Fórsa Salary Protection Scheme offers Fórsa members income protection, and various other benefits, in the event that they become too unwell to work. The benefits of the scheme are significant, and the cover is only available to workers who are Fórsa members.

To help publicise the benefits of the scheme, Cornmarket are giving away a €2,500 holiday voucher for Center Parcs. So, take a few minutes to read up on the benefits available to you and enter the competition by clicking here before it closes on 30th September 2023.