The latest edition of Civil Service Quarterly (CSQ) is hot off the press and available to view HERE.

Providing adequate childcare for essential employees is critical to Ireland’s response to the coronavirus, according to a new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The study says over a fifth of the Irish workforce are essential workers, and that 100,000 of them have children under the age of 14. It criticises Government proposals to provide childcare to 5,000 health workers as inadequate.

Essential employees during the Covid-19 crisis says most essential workers are concentrated in low-paid sectors like retail and non-professional health grades, and says they can’t afford extra childcare costs.

Some 80% of essential workers also have a partner that works, 20% have a partner who is also an essential worker, and 9% are lone parents. Nearly 70% of essential workers are women.

Paul Redmond who co-authored the report, said the proposed weekly fee of €90 for state-supported childcare could be a struggle for the essential workers in lower-paid health jobs.

Fórsa, which represents over 30,000 health workers, has been seeking a solution to the issue of childcare provision for essential staff since schools and crèches were closed on 12th March.

The union favours direct childcare provision for essential staff, or a payment to meet the additional costs incurred by individuals who made their own childcare arrangements after schools and crèches closed.

The ESRI report, which was completed before the Government made its recent announcement, was also critical of the lack of direct provision.

“Unlike other countries, such as the UK, there has not yet been direct government provision for the childcare needs of essential employees in Ireland. Furthermore, given that many essential workers are concentrated in lower paid occupations, the capacity of many such employees to pay for additional childcare services is likely to be substantially constrained.

“Therefore, facilitating adequate childcare for these essential employees is critical to ensure that we can continue to respond to the crisis,” it says.

Read the report HERE.

Fórsa has updated its advice on coronavirus-related work issues for civil servants 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 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 yesterday (Thursday) sought commitments over the enforcement of social distancing and other Covid-19 safety measures when libraries begin to open from 8^th June.

In a meeting with employer representatives, the union raised a range of safety concerns including the supervision of young library users, cleaning of premises and books, controlling the numbers entering libraries, queuing arrangements, signage, and protective screens.

Fόrsa said library management was also obliged to meet the health guidelines agreed between unions, employers and the Government at national level last week, in order to minimise the risk of exposing library staff and users to the coronavirus.

During yesterday’s meeting, the Local Government Management Agency, which represents council employers, recognised that library services required specific safety measures, and said it did not envisage a full return to library services in early June.

The union will now set out its concerns in writing after meetings with national representatives from its two library vocational groups next week.

Libraries are set to reopen “with numbers limited, social distancing observed, and strict hand hygiene on entry” next month, under phase two of the Government’s recently-published ‘roadmap for a return to work.’

Following the announcement, Fórsa called for the special meeting of the Local Authority National Council, an employer-union negotiating forum chaired by a senior Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) official.

Fórsa national secretary Peter Nolan said the union wanted to see library buildings reopened as soon as possible. But he said it must be done in a way that’s consistent with public health guidelines and health and safety legislation.

“Our members have concerns about enforcing social distancing, the supervision of young library users, the cleaning of premises and books, and controlling the numbers entering and exiting libraries,” he said.

The union is insisting that employers’ proposals to deal with these issues are set out well in advance of library re-opening.

Mr Nolan said libraries would also have to abide by the ‘return to work safety protocol,’ recently agreed between unions, employers and the Government. This aims to underpin workers’ safety as staff migrate back to workplaces, and says every work location must have an agreed employee representative for Covid-19 safety arrangements.

Local authority libraries have continued to provide electronic library services to the public throughout the pandemic, with some services providing selected deliveries to members of the public.

Read the Fórsa guidelines HERE.