Today marks the centenary of the legislation that permitted Irish women to vote and stand in parliamentary elections for the first time. It’s also 100 years since the first woman MP was elected to Westminster.

Constance Georgine Markievicz was elected in a Dublin constituency, but never took her seat at Westminster. Instead, she joined the revolutionary first Dáil, becoming the first female TD.
The first of the commemoration events on women’s suffrage took place in Glasnevin Cemetery last Sunday (4th February). The event coincided with Constance Markievicz’s 150th birthday, but it also focused on the three issues she championed: labour, nationalism and suffrage.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King reflected on an industrial dispute with a manufacturer of rosary beads, which Markievicz was involved in. The event was also addressed by Sinn Féin president-elect Mary Lou McDonald, and Ivana Bacik, Labour senator and the chair of Votáil 100.

The speakers all reflected on current efforts for the political and economic advancement of women, but focused particularly on the current make-up of the Oireachtas.

Sunday’s event was the first of many commemoration events remembering the fight for women’s suffrage.

Local authority-run libraries need a significant increase in resources, including investment in library staffing, according to Fórsa. In a submission to a public consultation on the strategy for public libraries, which is currently underway, the union also called for a re-think on ‘staffless’ libraries, and sought commitments that libraries would remain safe spaces for staff and users.

The Fórsa submission, which was informed by the input of members and branches, argues for the filling of vacant posts with recruitment at the grade of library assistant.

The union also expressed concern that responses were being sought after a 25-page confidential draft of the strategy document – which Fórsa officials have seen – had already been compiled. The head of the union’s Local Government and Municipal Employees’ divisions, Peter Nolan, said he “hoped and expected that the union’s ideas, observations, reservations and recommendations can and will be taken into consideration in any final draft.”

In the submission, Fórsa called for:

• a forum for consultation with elected members and users
• a specific forum for staff consultation which directly involves operational staff at all levels within the services
• a convention whereby all references in local authority literature would  brand libraries as local authority libraries rather than as ‘Libraries Ireland’ libraries, which has no corporate status
• an unambiguously expressed commitment to ensuring that libraries remain as safe spaces for staff and users
• a significant increase in resources and investment in library staffing. This, Fórsa argued, must include the filling of vacant posts. The union emphasised recruitment at the grade of library assistant
• a re-think concerning ‘staffless’ libraries
• a programme of professional development and training for library staff.

The union also complained about how library staff were referred to in the draft, saying they were not shown sufficient respect. Peter said: “Issues of language are easily overlooked, but are very important in terms of the signals they send and the role that language plays in forming our impressions and prejudices.”

In a similar vein, Fórsa also noted the use of euphemistic language to refer to proposed staffless libraries. It said the emphasis placed on staff being “able to move freely among users” implied that staff would not work in issuing and returning items.

You can read the whole thing HERE.

Fórsa and other unions in the water sector have sought reassurances before agreeing to a ministerial request to engage with management on proposals to establish a single water authority. Minister Eoghan Murphy wrote to the group of water unions on the matter last month, after meeting them in December.

Responding on behalf of all the unions, ICTU official Liam Berney sought assurances that the proposed process did not have a pre-determined outcome, and that union engagement would not rule out the extension of local authority service level agreements beyond their current expiry date of 2025.

Unions also want a commitment that no local authority employee will be forced to transfer to Irish Water without their consent. And Berney said workers wanted a firm commitment to a constitutional referendum on keeping water services in public ownership.

The process proposed by Minister Murphy would involve the unions, along with Irish Water, the local government department, and local authority employers.

Last year, Irish Water confirmed its intention to create a single water agency and employer by 2021, four years before the expiry of current service level agreements with local authorities. Fórsa and other unions are opposed to this new structure, saying it threatens employment and increases the risk of future privatisation.

Fórsa and the other unions also met local authority management on 25th January.

A Department of Public Expenditure and Reform analysis of the number and pay position of public service ‘new entrants’ is to be published by the end of March, following pressure from ICTU’s Public Services Committee. The report was originally planned for later in the year as the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) said it must take place within 12 months of the commencement of the agreement.

The new entrant pay scales were introduced without agreement by a previous Government in 2010. The new scales were set at 90% of the pre-existing scale points. This was opposed by unions at the time and no union agreed to the new terms.

The first opportunity to address the issue arose in talks on the Haddington Road Agreement in 2013. Unions secured an agreement to merge the new entrant pay scales with the pre-existing pay scales. The effect of the 2013 improvement was to place the new entrants on the old rates, albeit with two additional incremental points.

The PSSA requires the unions and management to discuss and agree on addressing the issue of the extended scales. Fórsa believes the solution must involve the removal of two increment points from the scale, creating faster progress up the pay scale.

The negotiations will, most likely, focus on which increments are removed. This is complicated by the vast differences in pay scale lengths for different civil and public service grades.

When unions met public service management on the issue last October, officials confirmed that 53,000 workers had been hired since the ‘new entrant’ scales were unilaterally introduced by the government in 2011.

Since that meeting, the department has been gathering data from all sectors to identify the incremental scale points of all new entrants. This should allow unions and management to examine the cost of potential solutions.

Pilot studies established to test the feasibility of allowing public servants to convert some of their leave into flexitime are expected to commence this month and conclude in June. Fórsa believes the studies will confirm that it’s doable, and will then want to see the facility rolled out as widely as possible.

Management reluctantly agreed to undertake the pilots during negotiations that led to the ratification of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA), which was overwhelmingly backed by members of Fórsa and other public service unions.

Unions believe a provision to convert annual leave into flexitime could help staff with a temporary need for more flexible working arrangements. The terms of reference for the pilot studies, which will take place in the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Kerry County Council, have been agreed with Fórsa and other unions.

It was one of two working time provisions in the PSSA, which also gives staff the option of a permanent return to ‘pre-Haddington Road’ hours on the basis of a pro-rata pay adjustment. Link to article in last issue

Although these improvements fell short of union demands for the full restoration of additional hours introduced under the Haddington Road Agreement in 2011, they at least give options to staff whose circumstances mean time is more important to them than money.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has criticised the Government’s response to the housing and homelessness crisis, saying it is characterised by “gestures and systemic policy failure.” Speaking at a major housing conference last month, ICTU general secretary Patricia King said official action “lacks the urgency and overall coherence that this very real emergency demands.”

Fórsa was well represented at the ICTU event, which featured contributions from all the major political parties as well as housing and homeless agencies.

Patrica said the latest Government initiative – making limited credit available to home buyers, through local authorities – was “no more than a gesture” given the scale of the problem. “The problem is a severe lack of supply of public housing and the fact that the state has abandoned housing policy to developers. Lives are being damaged and destroyed and a whole generation of younger workers now wonders whether they will ever be in position to find suitable, secure and affordable accommodation,” she said.

The conference endorsed plans for a national trade union campaign, which will include lobbying TDs at constituency level. Fórsa intends to coordinate its contribution to the campaign through branch campaign officers. The branch campaign officer role was established last year to coordinate local participation in the union’s national campaigns, and to boost the activist involvement and geographical spread of Fórsa campaigning efforts.

Fórsa’s Galway branch has presented Tom Browne with a distinguished service award for his many years of service to IMPACT. Tom, who has been active in the branch for many years, is currently the Fórsa branch secretary.

A local authority library worker, Tom has an in-depth knowledge of the entire local government system. Former IMPACT president Kevin O’Malley described him as the union’s elder statesman on local government. “Tom is a timeless character that everyone goes to for advice,” he said.

Tom has held many roles within the union. He currently represents the Local Government and Local Services division on the Fórsa national executive committee, and is a member of the union’s International and Global Solidarity Committee. He has been chair of the local government division.

Fórsa official Padraig Mulligan described Tom as the cornerstone of the branch. “Tom is loyal, hardworking and extremely efficient. Throughout our lives we look for people to take example from, and Tom is certainly that. He is a true trade unionist,” he said.

Joint Fórsa president Pat Fallon said it was an honour to present the distinguished service award. “Tom always goes about his business in a very quiet and unassuming manner. He has given years and years of service to members in Galway and at a national level. If there were more people with the commitment and service to their fellow worker that Tom has shown throughout his life the world would be the better for it,” he said.

National secretary Peter Nolan said: “Tom Browne is a trade union activist who gets all aspects of the movement, from dealing with vulnerable workers in the workplace to influencing the development of modern progressive public services, to ensuring justice through solidarity in Ireland and on the international stage.”

• Public ownership of Irish Water
• Government action plan on jobs
• Bogus self-employment
• Tax relief on union subscriptions
• Investment in early childhood education including a pre-Budget briefing
• National Civil Aviation Development Forum
• Social Protection appeal on behalf of Coillte employees
• Gender Pay Gap Reporting Bill 2017

In the last edition of the Fórsa members' news bulletin we asked Fórsa members “should healthcare professionals be compelled to have the flu vaccine?” on foot of an announcement by the Minister for Health Simon Harris that he would consider making it obligatory for healthcare professionals.

Almost half of our survey respondents disagreed that health workers should be compelled to get the flu vaccine and voted ‘No,' while 28% voted ‘Yes.’ However, a further 23% of respondents agreed that the vaccine should be mandatory for anyone working with the general public.

The Fórsa National Executive Committee met for the first time on 18th January. Writing to the union’s branches afterwards, the three Fórsa joint presidents said it was an historic occasion, made possible by several years of hard work by the combined executives and activists of our three former unions.

The three joint presidents – Ann McGee, Niall McGuirk and Pat Fallon – will be in office until new executive officers are elected at Fórsa’s first national conference in May.

They said the new union’s rich diversity was evident at the executive meeting. “We have spent a lot of time and effort to create this exciting new union. Now the real work has started. We look forward to working with every branch and activist to ensure that this force for good is one to be reckoned with. We can confidently anticipate the challenges that lie ahead,” they wrote.

The presidents said the first executive meeting was characterised by a determination to work together to use the union’s collective strength to protect and enhance the interests of every group of members.

“While taking pride in the rich legacies of our three founding unions, we firmly believe that, as the strongest and most influential trade union voice in the civil and public service, voluntary organisations, and the semi-state sector, Fórsa can deliver much more for its members, their communities, and the many thousands of workers who have yet to join our union,” they said.

An oversight committee, consisting of Niall, Ann and Pat, has been established to deal with any concerns or thoughts that members want to share.

Rising executive pay in the private sector will inevitably lead to a rise in wider inequality, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Its latest annual survey into executive pay Because We’re Worth It: The Truth About CEO Pay in Ireland also warns of a regulatory gap, which means Irish-registered companies based in London can avoid best practise regarding female membership of corporate boards.

The survey, which examines the remuneration of CEOs at 27 companies, finds that an average earner would have to work 270 years to earn the equivalent of the boss of CRH. It would take them 62 years to earn the equivalent of the Aryzta CEO’s remuneration package.

Dr Peter Rigney, one of the authors of the report, said: “If this trend is left unchecked it will inevitably lead to greater levels of inequality across Irish society. We have yet to see conclusive evidence of a direct causal link between high CEO pay and company performance.”

Five of the seven companies being examined for the first time were quoted on the London stock exchange, and had seen the pay of their CEOs fall in the past 12 months. The report says increased political will to tackle rising executive pay in the UK is the main reason for this. The authors say this debate has yet to start in Ireland.

This year’s report also examined gender diversity at executive and director level. It identified just two female CEOs – at FBD and Glanbia – in the 27 companies examined. “Most companies have a long way to go if an average of at least two female directors was to be in place,” it says.

The report also found that three of the four London-based companies with no women board members were registered in Ireland. These companies say they are not bound by London codes of practise, which encourage companies to have at least two female board members. The authors call for this “regulatory gap” to be closed.

Read the report HERE.

Fórsa has written to the Low Pay Commission to endorse the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) call for the statutory minimum wage to increase by at least 3%. The unions made their submission earlier this month, and argued that, over time, the minimum wage should be aligned with the so-called living wage, currently defined by the Government as €10.50 an hour.

Last month, the statutory minimum wage increased by 3.2%, or €0.30, on foot of a majority recommendation from the Low Pay Commission. ICTU says this level of increase needs to happen every year if the Government is to meet its Programme for Government commitment of a €10.50 minimum by 2021.

The rate is currently €9.55 for an experienced adult worker, but it falls to just €6.69 for under-18s. The ICTU submission points out that most people on the minimum wage are women and younger workers, and says a higher rate would help tackle the gender pay gap and encourage labour market participation.

The submission says the relatively small number of people on minimum pay – compared to the total workforce – means an increase would have little impact on employment levels.