School secretaries and caretakers represented by Fórsa are to ballot for industrial action when schools re-open following the summer break, after education department officials this week refused in talks to discuss proposals to overcome a two-tier pay system that leaves most staff on the statutory minimum wage. The union says this will likely result in industrial action in the next school term.

Fórsa trade union has given a cautious welcome to the publication on Monday (27th May) of the SNA allocations for the 2019/20 school year.

Former Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) official, Esther Lynch has been elected Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Esther was elected to the top job last week by delegates at the 14th ETUC Congress in Vienna, Austria.

Ten national political parties, who between them fielded over 1,000 candidates in last week’s local elections, have signed up to a trade union pledge to increase local authority funding and restore local council powers in areas like housing, water and environmental protection.

The standard domestic subsistence ‘day rates’ paid to civil servants who are out of the office on business are to increase by 10% from July. But overnight rates will remain the same.

The number of civil and public servants reached 330,500 in 2018. This is above the previous peak of recent times, which was reached in 2009.