Fórsa is hosting a seminar on climate change, and the impact that the move to a low carbon economy will have on workers in Ireland. The event, ‘A Green New Deal for Workers,’ takes place on Thursday 4th April in Fórsa’s Nerney’s Court office, from 2pm to 5pm.

The event will address what a ‘green new deal’ could mean, and will explore a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon Ireland. Professor John Barry of Queens University, Belfast is the keynote speaker.

The event will also feature interactive workshops around the development of a climate information campaign for Fórsa members, the creation of a sustainability strategy for the union, and establishing a just transition committee within Fórsa.

The union will also host a screening of the film Silent Transformation at 6pm* on the same evening, as part of the Fórsa Insights series. The documentary is about the transformative power of co-ops, and the impact they have had in communities across Ontario.

The screening will also be followed by a panel discussion on the role co-ops can play in finding a solution to the housing crisis in Ireland.

Fórsa Insights is a series of talks and cultural events open to Fórsa members, ICTU affiliates and NGOs. The aim is to explore a range of issues including human rights, climate change, migration, homelessness and the experience of campaigning for workers rights across the globe.

Please RSVP to Joe O’Connor for either or both events. For capacity reasons, places are limited to two spaces per branch.

*Please note the corrected time for the Fórsa Insights event.

Staff working in the school completion programme (SCP) should be transferred to education training boards (ETB) or the child and family agency Tusla to underpin governance and give national leadership to the service, according to Fórsa.

In a submission to an Oireachtas education committee investigation into issues affecting non-teaching education staff, the union said SCP employees should also be given the same employment status as other public servants.

The majority of SCP staff are employed by voluntary organisations with local boards of management. Despite providing vital services to children and communities, they are not deemed to be public servants.

Fórsa has been seeking a firm statutory basis for the programme with a national management structure and adequate funding for services, pay and access to a pension scheme.

The SCP’s 248 full-time staff and 627 part-time staff give direct support to over 36,000 young people at risk of poor school attendance and participation. Its annual budget was cut from almost €33 million to less than €25 million in 2010.

“This budget has not increased in any way and staff have who experienced pay cuts due to reduced funding have not benefited from any pay restoration. Fórsa has raised these issues with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Tusla,” according to the union’s paper.

Fórsa has repeated its call for a common set of pay and conditions for staff working in education centres. In a recent submission to an Oireachtas education committee investigation into issues affecting non-teaching education staff, the union said the workers were employed on a range of salary scales and were not treated as public servants despite providing “key services to public servants.”

The union told the committee it had sought negotiations with the Department of Education and Skills to address the problem, and to ensure that staff were granted public service status.

There are 30 education centres across the country. They provide a range of educational programmes to teachers, and are grant funded by the Department of Education and Skills.

Staff employed by the centres undertake a range of education development, project management, and clerical and administrative roles.

Special needs assistants (SNAs) should be allowed to serve on school management boards alongside their teaching colleagues, according to Fórsa. The union has criticised current legal arrangements that allow the election of teachers and community representatives to boards, but leave out other school staff.

In a recent submission to an Oireachtas education committee investigation, the union also insisted that the education department must consult with SNAs before implementing recommendations made in a review of the role, which was undertaken by the National Council for Special Education last year. It said this was particularly important in respect of “any new educational requirements and any necessary changes to contracts of employment.”

The number of SNA posts has almost doubled from since 2006, and now stands at around 15,000. “This has made it possible for some 34,600 students in 4,000 schools to attend school. This support varies from student to student and always with the goal of ensuring that students develop their independent living skills to the greatest extent possible,” the union said.

The union submission also raised again the problem of inappropriate tasks being assigned to SNAs during the 72 hours of additional duties they are obliged to undertake each year outside of classroom time.

“There are no productivity gains associated with this measure and there is no appreciable benefit to students or the school,” it says. The union wants the 72 hours to be used for continuous professional development and a range of productive areas of work aimed at improving the student experience.

Read the submission HERE.

Fórsa has highlighted the very wide range of duties carried out by school secretaries in a submission to an Oireachtas education committee investigation into issues affecting non-teaching education staff. 

The union’s submission says that most school secretaries are very poorly paid, with uncertain short-term contracts, which force many of them to sign on during the summer holidays.

Most school secretaries and caretakers are paid from ancillary grants and are not deemed to be public servants. This is currently the focus of Fórsa’s Support Our Secretaries campaign, which has seen membership of the union's School Secretaries branch increase by 15% since the campaign was launched in January.

Work undertaken by school secretaries includes completing pay and pension returns for teachers, and undertaking many tasks necessary to ensure that teaching staff receive holiday pay, sick pay and other public service conditions of service.

Fórsa commissioned research carried out by independent employment expert, Mr Seán McHugh, which demonstrates that the school secretaries’ role across all schools is one that carries with it a wide range of duties and responsibilities including:

• Reception and telephone duties
• Secretarial services, much of which is confidential and sensitive by nature
• Report preparation
• Management of school finances including cash collection, payments, wages, keeping accounts
• Administrative support boards of management
• Managing attendance records, admissions and transfers
• Assisting with pupil welfare
• Managing school data including GDPR and other regulatory compliance.

Fórsa’s submission to the committee states: “The routine work carried out by school secretaries in many instances far exceed the limits of responsibility as set out in the clerical officer job descriptions used by the Public Appointments Service for the purposes of recruiting new clerical officers across the public service.”

Mr McHugh’s research found that, given the sensitive and responsible nature of much of the work, school secretaries’ role goes well beyond what would be expected of a clerical officer, who would be part of a team rather than working on their own as most school secretaries do.

The submission highlights the fact that the majority – around 90% - of school secretaries work alongside colleagues with full public service status, but are locked out of the system without holiday pay, sick pay, pensions or access to public service salary scales.

The remaining 10% of staff employed by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are paid according to public service pay scales and have access to the standard benefits of public service status such as pensions and paid leave.

https://www.forsa.ie/support-our-secretaries-campaign/

The underlying assumptions of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) need to be reviewed to take account of lost spending power, recent and projected growth rates, and pay movements in the wider economy, according to Fórsa.

Speaking at the annual Industrial Relations News (IRN) conference in Dublin this month, the union’s senior general secretary designate, Kevin Callinan, said public service agreements should also allow for individual grade claims to respond to enhanced responsibilities, higher qualification requirements, additional skills, and increased productivity.

“The credibility of the current agreement [the PSSA] is being stretched by two important factors, which have took root over the past decade and which now need to be addressed. One is the spending power of incomes after living costs are factored in. The other is the scope for the agreement to respond to profession-specific and grade-specific issues and ambitions,” he said.

Kevin also said additional working time, introduced in 2013 as part of the Haddington Road agreement, “still rankled” and needed to be addressed. He was speaking a week after Fórsa’s elected National Executive Committee considered the position of the PSSA in the wake of a Labour Court recommendation on the nurses’ dispute.

He said public service incomes had fallen or remained static between 2008 and 2018, a period when cumulative inflation was just over 6%. The result was a significant reduction in the value of wages. “It will simply not be credible to seek to continue on the current course without a correction to this,” he said.

Kevin said the Government and Labour Court had both recognised, in the nurses’ case, that the PSSA is capable of dealing with grade claims. The Labour Court linked this to a wider public service review previously recommended by the Public Service Pay Commission.

“This could herald a positive change in direction. Other grades and professions who aspire to participate in such an exercise will expect similar treatment in the same timeframe,” said Callinan.

He added that a facility to deal with grade claims would help restore confidence in the PSSA. “Such an approach could frame the negotiations on a successor to the current agreement, which will have to be sufficiently flexible to pair general increases, designed to protect living standards, with progress on specific grade or profession reviews,” he said.

Fórsa has been assured that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) will continue to engage with the union of PSSA matters, including the broader implications of the nurses’ Labour Court recommendation.

“Fórsa expects these engagements to continue to take place over the coming weeks with the objective of ensuring the continued effectiveness and stability of the public service agreement, and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose,” according to Kevin.

Read the full speech HERE.

Disability rights minister Finian McGrath will help launch Fórsa’s new Disability Rights Network in the union’s office at Nerney’s Court, Dublin on Saturday 6th April. The network will provide an opportunity for members interested in disability issues to meet and discuss how the union can work to improve facilities, services and conditions for people with disabilities.

The launch, which starts at 11am, will be of interest to Fórsa members with a disability, members working in disability services, and others. But places are limited, so you should book a place in advance. They will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Keep an eye on our website for full details of the programme, which will be issued in the coming weeks.

Poverty among working lone parents has more than doubled in five years, according to a new study by the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP). The report, Working, Parenting and Struggling, found one in 11 working lone parents were living below the poverty line in 2012. But that figure jumped to one in five by 2017.

The report also shows that the living standards of lone parents in Ireland are among the worst in Europe, with the second highest rates of income poverty, persistent poverty and severe deprivation among EU-15 countries.

SVP social policy development officer Tricia Keilthy, who wrote the report, said many families are struggling to make ends meet due to high housing and childcare costs combined with low incomes. “These factors significantly reduce the standard of living of working lone parents, who face additional challenges as both the primary earner and primary care-giver for their families,” she said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar disputed the report, saying that figures from the Central Statistics Office show consistent poverty and deprivation among lone parents had reduced in the last four years.

SVP National President Kieran Stafford noted a number of welcome improvements in Budget 2019, including income supports for lone parents and the introduction of the affordable childcare scheme.

However, he added “this report shows Ireland has a long way to go in creating pathways to sustainable, decent and family friendly employment which will address the growing issue of in-work poverty among lone parents.”

For more information, click here.

We've received some questions about new entrants and what incremental point they should be on under the new arrangements.

Specifically, these measures cover SNAs hired on or before 31st December 2010 only (in other words, staff to whom the pay cuts for new entrants were applied).

This is covered by Circular 21 of 2019, and comes into effect for all increment dates falling after 1st March 2019.

The important information can be found at paragraphs 8-10, where it states:

• (8) For those currently on incremental points 1 or 2 of a salary scale, each will receive the normal increment due on their next normal increment date.
  
• (9) For those currently on incremental points 3, 4 or 5 of a salary scale, each will receive two increments (1 normal, and 1 additional increment) due on their next normal increment date.
• (10) For those currently on incremental point 6 or above of a salary scale, each will receive three increments (1 normal, and 2 additional increments) due on their next normal increment date.

Archived issues

Since April 2018 we've been publishing a special segment focussing on contract issues facing SNAs. Devised and written by assistant general secretary Seán Carabini, it has proved to be one of the most popular items in the Education news bulletin. 

We've archived all of these items for ease of access, and will publish an updated archive in each future edition of the bulletin.

If you have SNA contract issues you'd like to see covered in the bulletin, please contact us here and include 'SNA contract issues for the news bulletin' in the subject heading.

• Pilot Schools and Non-Cooperation
• SNAs and assault leave
• Advice on the '72 Hours' and does an SNA have a supervision function?
• How is the pay for part time hours calculated?
• Notice periods
• Panel Appeals
• Displacement: Are You Doing Someone Else’s Job?
• Standard contract for 2018/2019 school year
• SNA allocation FAQs
• The NCSE's SNA review: main points and recommendations
• Q&A: NCSE Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme
• Post fragmentation
• I was a full-time SNA but have had my hours cut. Am I entitled to any redundancy payment?

80% of women believe a glass ceiling on promotions still exists in the workplace, according to a survey by the business group Network Ireland. The survey on career progression, found that over a third of respondents believe being female has impacted negatively on their career progression.

The survey said over a third of women professionals have never asked for a pay increase, while a further one in three women said they would ask for pay rise if they felt they deserve one. 25% of respondents also said they did not go for a promotion due to family commitments.

Although over 50% of respondents said being female has made no difference to their career progression, Fórsa’s equality officer Andy Pike said the number of women who do feel it has had an impact on their career progression is extremely worrying.

“This new survey builds on established research findings showing that women at work are less likely to be promoted and more likely to occupy lower paid jobs.

“Fórsa believes that employers need to do much more to encourage and facilitate career progression for the women they employ. Proactive measures could be taken such as increasing the availability of family friendly or flexible working patterns, something highlighted by the ERSI as playing a significant role in preventing women from applying for promotion.

“Employers need to get ready for mandatory gender pay gap reporting and prepare to implement policies which would contribute to breaking the glass ceiling and closing the gender pay gap,” he said.

Among the surveys other findings were that just 5% of respondents have applied to join a board, while 25% also said they would like to join a board, but did not know where to start.

The survey also found that female business owners cited ‘family commitments’ as the second highest reason for not expanding their businesses, only behind costs.

See related here.

Fórsa has welcomed legislation banning zero hour contracts, which came into force earlier this month. The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, requires employers to give their staff details of their core terms of employment within five days of starting work.

It also includes provisions on “banded” hours, requiring the employer to place those whose contracts don’t reflect their working hours in a band that reflects the hours they actually worked over the previous 12-month period.

The only exceptions are work carried out in “emergency circumstances” or short-term relief work to cover routine absences. The legislation also includes provisions to protect workers who are called in, then sent home without getting any work. A minimum payment must now be granted to them.

Fórsa’s head of communications Bernard Harbor welcomed the act as a step forward for the protection of workers’ rights.

“Unions campaigned hard for these reforms, which will ensure that worker’s hours are more predictable and secure. However, there is an urgent need for greater protection for workers in so-called gig ‘economy’ platforms which still has to be addressed,” he said.

You can find the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 here and information on rights in relation to zero hour contracts here.

The child and family agency Tusla has launched a new website to help young people avail of its services. The site – changingfutures.ie – was developed by a research group made up of young people who have experience of Tusla and the care system.

The group met worked on the site’s development over three years and designed each detail so that it explains services in an easily accessible way.

Mark Gray from Dun Laoghaire, who was a member of the research group, was just six when he was placed in a residential home. He believes the involvement of young people with experience of Tusla was crucial to the success of the project.

“We have a residential care worker who explains her job and does a run-through of the residential home. We have an after-care worker explaining her role. We have foster carers explaining their roles,” he said.

Lauren Ellen Dunne also helped to develop the website. “When people go on to the website that we have taken three years to make and they realise that a group of young people came together and made it, they will see us in a new light too. Children are going to get some good publicity for a change,” she said.

Fórsa Assistant general secretary Chris Cully praised the website. “Good on those young people for coming up with this concept. I think it’s great, especially as it was developed by the young people who have been supported by Tusla.

“The site helps show people the real picture of Tusla, and introduce some of its dedicated and caring staff and the great work they do. That’s the Tusla I know and see in action every day when dealing with the 4,000 staff who Fórsa represents.”

Fórsa president Ann McGee spoke about the challenges and opportunities faced by women trade unionists in leadership positions during a panel discussion organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Union's (ICTU) Women’s Committee on International Women’s Day. The event, which brought 150 delegates to Newcastle, Co Down, backed plans for a new leadership and mentoring programme for women in trade unions.

Along with other senior female union leaders from Ireland and the UK, Ann noted the challenges she and many other women face. Describing her average week, she told the seminar that she could pack her car on a Monday morning and not return home until the following Friday evening.

"I feel the union world forgets you have a life – family, friends and a job – outside the movement," she said.

However, she also emphasised the vital position female engagement plays in our communities. She said women's full participation is essential for their own empowerment, and to advance society as a whole.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King announced the federations intention to launch a leadership and mentoring programme. After a lively debate delegates informally voted in favour of making it exclusive to women.

Commenting on the result Margaret Coughlan, a leading Fórsa activist who chairs the ICTU Women’s Committee said, “Women aren’t naturally drawn to putting ourselves forward for leadership positions and so this programme will offer encouragement and support to those who need it most. It’s important that women are supported in their endeavours to further their careers in the workplace and the union movement.”

Further ‘Raise the Roof’ rallies were held in Dublin and Cork earlier this month after the initial event last October saw thousands gather outside Leinster House in protest of the housing and homelessness crisis.

The movement, supported by the National Homeless and Housing Coalition and its affiliates – including Fórsa – is calling for a large-scale affordable public house-building programme, legislation to end ‘evictions to nowhere,’ and measures to achieve rent certainty.

These demands are in line with the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s (ICTU) Charter for Housing Rights.

The Dublin rally took place on Saturday 9th March, where thousands showed up and brought traffic to a standstill on O’Connell Bridge.

Two days later a rally in Cork coincided with a motion being initiated at Cork City Council by Lord Mayor Cllr Mick Finn. It demanded urgent action to address housing problems nationally and locally.

Despite the weather, Fórsa’s contingent was strong in Cork with activists and staff out in full support.