The Department of Education and Skills has clarified that special needs assistants (SNAs) who are reallocated on a temporary basis during the Covid-19 emergency will not be reassigned into nursing or front line care roles, as was suggested in some media reports yesterday.

In an email to Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, sent just before 10.00pm last night (Wednesday), a senior education department official confirmed that reassignments were designed to facilitate “the assignment of SNAs into community services for children with a disability” and that “SNAs may be asked to provide remote supports to families of children they are familiar with.”

The clarification came after Fórsa intervened on foot of media reports and political statements that said SNAs might be reallocated to medical or nursing roles.

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said there was no question of SNAs taking on nursing, medical or nursing assistant roles, for which they were unqualified. “Instead, the department says SNAs will generally be reassigned from school-based work to continue important supports to children with special needs, who are now isolated in their homes,” he said.

In its clarification the department confirmed that this was set out “in all documentation that has issued from this department,” including the official circular on temporary reallocation. 

“Alteration to the current arrangements set out in that documentation will not be considered without further engagement and discussion with Fórsa,” it said.  

The union is now geared up to intervene to resolve problems if inappropriate work is assigned to an SNA. Fórsa members can contact their branch representative or email the union HERE.

Any reassignments will be for 12 weeks during which SNAs would be under the line management of the HSE.

However, measures already in place guarantee that SNAs who are reassigned will continue to be employed – and paid by – their existing employer. And they will return to their existing employer and role once the temporary transfer is over.

Staff who are on sick leave, or are self-isolating on medical advice, will not be reassigned. Those with childcare and other caring commitments can be asked to work at home.

The reassignments are part of a public service-wide mobilisation to meet the challenges posed by the coronavirus. All Government departments and agencies have been instructed to identify staff who can be reassigned, on a temporary basis, to areas of greatest need during the crisis.

Read about temporary reallocations HERE.

Read Fórsa’s FAQ document HERE.

The process of reassigning higher education and ETB (education and training board) staff got underway this week after the department asked employers in the sector to identify workers who can be reassigned to critical work areas on a temporary basis.

In a circular published yesterday, the department asked employers to identify staff who are carrying out work that’s not essential at this time, so that they can be released for critical duties elsewhere.

Employers will identify staff available for temporary reassignment, who will subsequently receive a questionnaire from the Public Appointments Service (PAS). The PAS will match staff to the roles where help is needed.

Fórsa has sought a mechanism to allow staff with the correct skills and experience to volunteer to work in specific critical areas.

Although the PAS isn’t able to facilitate volunteers this at present, some education employers are seeking volunteers and designating them as available for redeployment. A number of institutions have already identified hundreds of volunteers.

It’s understood that presidents of institutes of technology are meeting today (Thursday) to agree a common approach to identifying staff available for reassignment.

Reassignments will be for 12-weeks, during which staff will be under the line management of your temporary employer.

However, measures already in place guarantee that reassigned staff will continue to be employed – and paid by – their existing employer. And they will return to their existing employer and role once the temporary transfer is over.

Staff who are on sick leave, or are self-isolating on medical advice, will not be reassigned. Those with childcare and other caring commitments can be asked to work at home.

The reassignments are part of a public service-wide mobilisation to meet the challenges posed by the coronavirus. All Government departments and agencies have been instructed to identify staff who can be reassigned, on a temporary basis, to areas of greatest need during the crisis.

Contact the union HERE

Read the official FAQ document HERE.

Staff at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) have started work as volunteers at a newly-established contact tracing centre at their Galway campus.

Over 80 volunteers are supporting the national effort against Covid-19 after getting training from HSE public health workers over the last two weeks. They’ve now begun work on establishing the contacts of those who have tested positive for Covid-19, and communicating with those affected.

GMIT has also donated laboratory consumables and equipment to a number of hospitals.

Senior management at GMIT said the institute was inundated with offers from staff members who wanted to volunteer to work as contact tracers.

Fórsa official Stella Griffin has praised the collaborative efforts of GMIT management and personnel.

“It’s wonderful to see the support that higher education institutions are providing to the people of Ireland at this time,” she said. “Staff at GMIT are providing true leadership during a period of real hardship for our country. The response has been extraordinary.”

Work is also ongoing to operate another contact tracing centre at the GMIT campus in Castlebar.

School secretaries and caretakers employed directly by their school boards of management are not subject to the Government’s programme of temporary reassignment of public service staff during the Covid-19 crisis.

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike explained: “Those school secretaries and caretakers employed in independent schools are not subject to temporary reassignment under the terms of this programme because they are not public servants.”

Andy said school secretaries and caretakers employed in Education and Training Board (ETB) schools are considered to be within the scope of the temporary reassignment scheme as they are employed under public service terms and conditions.

“Those in ETB schools fall within the scope of the scheme and may be temporarily reassigned while the current crisis is ongoing. The scheme allows the temporary transfer of civil and public servants to critical roles for up to three months, with a possible extension if required. Right now, the most urgent need for temporary assignments is in the HSE and social welfare,” he said.

Temporary reassignments of higher education and ETB staff got underway yesterday (1st April). The Department of Education and Skills (DES) has asked employers in the sector to identify workers who can be reassigned to critical work areas on a temporary basis.

In a circular published yesterday, the DES asks employers to identify staff who are carrying out work that’s not essential at this time, so that they can be released for critical duties elsewhere.

Fórsa has supported calls by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) for the Government to implement stronger measures to avoid an economic depression as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Central Statistic Office (CSO) figures released today (Thursday) show that over 300,000 workers have been directly affected by the virus over the past month. It took three years to reach this number during the banking crisis a decade ago.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the Government should “ramp up” and revise its temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme to maximise the number of people who can return to work after the crisis.

Ms King called on the Government to adopt the European Unemployment Reinsurance Scheme, which helps countries cope with the rise in unemployment.

Under this scheme, the EU would provide loans and guidance on implementing short-time working schemes. It’s been done in Germany, where over 500,000 people are now in schemes.

The union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute also said the European Central Bank should act as a lender of last resort to support governments who are supporting businesses and workers.

The Irish Government has already responded to union calls for income supports. But Fórsa says more is action is needed to prevent a long-lasting depression.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called on justice minister Charlie Flanagan to put urgent measures in place to protect people living in direct provision centres during the Covid-19 crisis.

ICTU wants direct provision-based asylum seekers aged over 60 years old – and those with pre-existing medical conditions – to be allowed to move to accommodation where they can effectively self-isolate and cocoon. It says this will help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

ICTU’s international officer David Joyce said: “There is no conflict between measures to protect public health and human rights. It’s simply not in the public health interest to have direct provision centres that potentially spread the virus quickly.”

Congress says conditions in direct provision centres often make it impossible for people to self-isolate. Yet the State’s recommended strategy is to self-isolate and self-quarantine, while minimising human contact and social gatherings.

ICTU has also criticised the decision to exclude asylum seekers who lost work because of the crisis from the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment.

Almost 5,700 refugees and asylum seekers, including over 1,700 children, are currently living in 39 direct provision centres. Another 1,585 people, including 285 children, are staying in emergency accommodation.

The Movement for Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) says people in direct provision often live in very close quarters, sharing living spaces and other facilities with multiple families.

“The HSE posters on social distancing are useless to an asylum seeker sharing a tiny bedroom with a stranger, having to use communal bathrooms, and congregating in a canteen for meals three times a day,” it says.

Over 350,000 people could lose their jobs if current coronavirus-related restrictions and closures stay in place for 12 weeks, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

This would push the unemployment rate to 18% in the second half of this year, up from less than 5% in the first three months of 2020.

The report was published as social protection staff processed over half a million individual transactions last week. This included 283,000 pandemic unemployment payments and over 200,000 standard jobseeker payments.

Describing the pandemic as the “greatest threat that the Irish economy has faced since the financial crisis,” the ESRI also warned that State finances will be hard hit.

It envisages a significant fall in revenue as economic activity stalls, coupled with extra health spending to deal with Covid-19 and the soaring costs of supports to laid-off workers and struggling businesses.

The economic think tank suggests that the economy could shrink by over 7% this year on foot of reduced household spending, cancelled and postponed business investment, and falling overseas demand for Irish-produced goods.

It says the labour market had been strong prior to the pandemic. But was now facing “the largest one quarter shock in living memory.”

The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, has confirmed that funding to schools will continue for the School Meals Programme during the Covid-19 crisis.

The programme is provided to DEIS schools in communities at risk of disadvantage and social exclusion.

A circular issued this week provides guidance to schools to ensure pupils have continued access to school meals while their school remains closed. Schools are encouraged to maintain the service during the upcoming Easter holiday period.

Participating schools and education staff had expressed concerns about the impact of school closures due to Covid-19 on pupils who avail of school meals.

Funding for the programme is being provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection in line with the parameters of the School Meals scheme.

The guidance note advises schools to contact families already in receipt of support under the School Meals Programme to establish if they wish to continue to avail of this support during this period of school closure.

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said the programme is considered an essential service following last week’s announcement by An Taoiseach that people should not to go to work if they could work from home, or if their attendance at the workplace was not essential.

“Tusla’s Education Support Service have asked all home school community liaison coordinators (HSCL) and School Completion Programmes (SCP) staff to liaise with school principals across all schools where they currently work to ensure that children in need of the School Meals Programme are identified and supported. School secretaries are also assisting with this effort,” he said.

Fórsa is keen to ensure that all our members contact details are up to date.

By maintaining your current contact details we can ensure that up-to-the-minute, important information can be delivered directly to each and every member of the union.

This is especially important during the current national Covid-19 crisis. In the past few days we’ve been able to issue a series of special bulletins to members, keeping them in touch with the latest advice and guidelines from the HSE and employers.

However, if any member isn’t receiving this information, it means we don’t have a current email address for them on our system. This could be because they’ve moved departments or changed grades or employment etc.

If this sounds like the experience of one of your colleagues, please share this information with them and let them know we’re encouraging members to update their contact details with us in order to improve our communications service to members.

The union is also experiencing a high volume of members getting in touch with the communications unit directly to change their contact details as a result of new eircom policy taking effect later this month. Those members wishing to change the email address Fórsa contacts them on should also follow the directions outlined below.

It's also worth noting your home email address helps to ensure direct, safe and more effective communications with you than a workplace email address.

To update contact details, visit our website HERE and follow the directions to quickly update them.

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.

Fórsa has updated its advice on coronavirus-related work issues for local council workers and staff in the wider public service. The advice covers attendance at work (including for pregnant workers and those with health vulnerabilities), salary protections for those self-isolating, temporary staff transfers, childcare and more. Read it HERE.

Fórsa has amended its advice to members to say they should stay away from workplaces on public health grounds unless their employer has told them they need to attend work. Until now, the union has advised staff to go in unless told otherwise. The union says much of the dust has settled since the An Taoiseach’s ‘stay at home’ announcement last Friday (27th March), and that most employers have now given clear direction to staff.