Fórsa has confirmed that industrial action by Information and Communications Technology (ICT) staff in local authorities remains paused following conciliation talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) last week. 

The parties attended intensive discussions under the auspices of the WRC, the outcome of which has now been set out in a formal note issued by the Commission on Monday 9th February. 

The WRC has confirmed that agreement was reached to establish a high-level joint union–management working group to address all elements of the dispute. The group will comprise of four senior management nominees from the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and from the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and five Fórsa nominees. 

Its work will address the three issues at the heart of the dispute: continuous professional development, the establishment of a national framework for out-of-hours work and the sector wide review of ICT grading.  

The first meeting of the new working group is scheduled to take place by early March at the latest. A further conciliation conference has been arranged at the WRC for Thursday 28th May 2026. 

Fórsa national secretary Richy Carrothers said the union would now engage constructively in the next phase of talks but stressed that progress must be tangible: “Our members paused industrial action to allow space for meaningful engagement, and we are entering this process in good faith.  

“What we need is a solution-focused approach that delivers real outcomes on grading, professional development and out-of-hours working arrangements. Following the industrial action management is now in no doubt that these issues must be resolved,” he said. 

He added that the union would keep the position under review as the process continues.

Click to download the agreement issued by the WRC here and Richy's letter to members here.

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