Fórsa has agreed to new and stronger governance procedures for the special needs assistant (SNA) supplementary assignment panel, which is now included in a new circular issued by the Department of Education.

Fórsa commenced a new national campaign this week to highlight the value of the role of special needs assistants (SNAs) after the education department turned down the union’s claim for a new minimum qualification.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan has led the union team at an oral hearing of the independent body established to make recommendations on the implementation of a Government commitment to resolve the issue of the so-called ‘Haddington Road hours.’

Two new circulars have been issued by the Department of Education which will address concerns for Fórsa’s SNA members in relation to substitution.

Most employers want the right to ask their staff if they have received a Covid-19 vaccination, it has emerged.

The wage gap between top earners and the low paid in Ireland is much wider than in any other high-income European country, according to an analysis by a union-backed economic think-tank.

Over three months after Fórsa submitted a comprehensive claim, and sought negotiations to agree guidelines on the development and management of remote working in the civil and public service, the union has warned that the public sector risks becoming a laggard on the issue.

Peter Nolan, head of Fórsa’s Local Government Division and Municipal Employees’ Division, retired this week after 42 years of trade union activism.