Fórsa alongside Siptu, Connect and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has collectively written to members affected by the transfer of water services from local authorities to Uisce Éireann to update them on matters relating to the implementation of the Framework for the Future Delivery of Public Water Services.

The Framework, which sets out the process for local authority water services staff who wish to remain as local authority workers, provides for a voluntary severance scheme to be made available to local authority water services workers. Following engagement, staff will now be provided with the opportunity to express and interest in availing of the voluntary severance scheme in the early weeks of 2024.

Head of Local Government and Local Services and the Municipal Employees’ Divisions Richy Carrothers welcomed this progress, saying that it is “a positive step and one the union group has worked hard to secure.” It is anticipated that information on the scheme including a mechanism to allow workers calculate the value of the scheme will be provided through each local authority.

Elsewhere, the union side has continued to press the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) to ensure that the public water services are sufficiently resourced, and that where staff vacancies arise, they are filled in line with the terms of the framework. Local authorities issued recent communications outlining the cessation of acting arrangements in local authority water services on the 31st December 2023, a unilateral decision that was only communicated to unions after the event. Richy described the move as “extremely unhelpful and damaging”.

“At the most recent meeting of the Irish Water Consultative Group (IWCG) we pointed to the damaging impact of this decision. Following these representations, Uisce Éireann and the LGMA have agreed that existing fixed term contracts or acting arrangements due to finish by the 31st December 2023 can be extended for a maximum period to no later than the 31st March 2024. This is to enable Uisce Éireann to make arrangements for the filling of these posts,” said Richy.

Additionally, the union group is continuing to call on Government to “live up to its commitments” and hold a referendum on the public ownership of water services. Government has repeatedly failed to act on its promise to stage a referendum on water ownership, despite it being in the Programme for Government agreed in July 2020.

“Privatised water services result in higher costs and poorer services for the public. Public ownership of water services ensures safe and sustainable access to water for everyone. It is critical that we continue to press Government to name the date to keep water public,” said Richy.

The coalition of unions behind the ‘Keep Water Public’ campaign urged the decision makers to name the date and encouraged members to get behind the campaign by signing this petition.

The full update to members can be found here and members can expect further communications in the new year.

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From the 1st of January 2024, statutory sick leave will increase from three days to five days per year.

The increase is part of a larger change that will see the number of statutory sick days increased every year, until 2026, when it will amount to ten days per year.

Most Fórsa members are already covered by the public service sick pay scheme, while the new scheme will see many Fórsa members working in the private sector afforded greater protection.

The scheme is the result of a campaign launched by ICTU in 2020. ICTU started the campaign in reaction to the outbreak of Covid-19 clusters in meat-processing plants among low-paid workers. These outbreaks underlined the absence of a statutory right to sick leave.

Ahead of the increase to five days of sick leave, the Department of Enterprise’s Employment Rights Policy Unit has produced a short FAQ document to ensure clarity around the increase, and the effect it will have on applications for Contributory Illness Benefit from the Department of Social Protection.

The unit, in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection has also made information available using plain english and is available HERE.

The FAQ answers important questions as to the functioning of statutory sick leave. It includes details such as:

• The increase to five days is a minimum. Employers who wish to offer more favourable conditions, will be unaffected by the Statutory Sick Scheme.
• If an employee has not completed 13 weeks of service with their current employer, they will not be entitled to statutory sick leave, but will qualify for illness benefit.
• A valid medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner will be required to qualify for sick leave.
• Unused sick days will not be able to be carried over into the following year.

Full document: Sick Pay FAQs on Increase to 5 Days is available here.

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Members are reminded to save the date for the Fórsa Global Solidarity Spring School, which will take place on the 1st and 2nd of March 2024, in Nerney’s Court, Dublin 1.  
  
The school will provide a unique opportunity for interested members to discuss a range of international, trade union and human rights issues. We will hear about projects that Fórsa actively fund across the world through the union’s Developing World Fund, and it will also be an opportunity to hear about Forsa’s global solidarity work

. 

The two-day event will kick off on the Friday afternoon and will feature panel discussions and guest speakers on topics including the war on Palestine and the rise of the far right, amongst others. 

Further information, and a link to register will circulate to members early in the new year but in the meantime, if you have any queries, you can email them to internationalsolidarity@forsa.ie. 
 
We look forward to welcoming you to the next Global Solidarity Spring School.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

One in five workers in Ireland have good jobs that pay well, provide good employment security, good work-life flexibility, and provide workers with high levels of discretion over the conduct of their work.

That’s according to the latest report, examining the quality of people’s jobs in Ireland, by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI), the trade-union backed economic research organisation.

Men are almost three times more likely than women to occupy high quality jobs, and men are significantly less likely to have poor quality jobs, revealing a pattern of occupational gender segregation in the Irish labour market.

The report, by Dr Lisa Wilson (NERI) and Professor John Geary (UCD) draws on data collected in UCD’s Working in Ireland Survey (WIIS), and assesses the quality of jobs in the Irish labour market, identifying where the good and poor jobs are and who occupies them, and estimates the proportion of the workforce that occupies jobs in either of these categories.

The report finds that, at the other end of the job quality spectrum, a little over a quarter of the workforce are employed in poor quality jobs.

These are found to be broadly of two types. The first, described as “demanding, highly controlled, precarious jobs” are occupied by workers who face significant job insecurity. Their earnings are low and they work hard over long hours and have poor work-life flexibility.

The second are described as “precarious, low-paid jobs,” similarly characterised by insecurity and low pay, but are also typified by the provision of little training and few managements supports.

The report says that the State can do more to improve job quality, and that there are several options in this regard, including the establishment a set of minimum standards across a series of job quality dimensions. The report says the State could also do more regarding paternal leave, including shared maternity-paternity leave, which would lessen the care burden on women.

Find out more and read the full report:

• Where are the good jobs in Ireland and how can we create more of them? by Dr Lisa Wilson.
• Job Quality in Ireland: First findings from the UCD Working in Ireland Survey 2021.

Fórsa, and other unions affiliated to the ICTU’s Public Services Committee (PSC), have expressed concern about the slow pace of public service pay talks, which got underway in late November.

The union’s general secretary, Kevin Callinan, who chairs the PSC, said a lot of work still needs to be done despite nine separate engagements over three weeks: “Progress has been undeniably slow so far, and that is disappointing.

“We are hoping to inject a sense of urgency into the next round of talks, and to make real progress on finalising a deal,” he said.

Talks adjourned on Wednesday evening (13th) and are due to resume on Monday morning (18th).

Kevin added: “While a lot of work remains to be done to conclude an agreement within the very small amount of time available, it is significant to have secured a commitment to repeal FEMPI in the context of a multi-year pay deal.

“While it represents an opportunity for unions to operate in an environment no longer bound by emergency measures, the intent of any draft legislation to deliver on that needs to be clear.

“Equally, we remain focused on stabilising any agreement and finding a means to address several outstanding issues affecting some public service grades, groups and categories.

“Considerable work remains to be done to achieve an agreement that can deliver on cost-of-living pay increases, especially for those on lower and middle incomes.

“We’ve exchanged positions on the Government’s modernisation agenda, and on the union’s agenda for the futureproofing of quality public services and jobs.

“More work is needed to bring these items to a conclusion, and we will want to ensure existing protections, such as those on outsourcing, continue within the context of a new agreement.

“As in all negotiations, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and the pay element is likely to form the concluding phase of the talks process.

That means we really need to push for progress on Monday, as the time available to finalise an agreement is limited both by the December 31st expiration of the Building Momentum agreement, in addition to the Christmas hiatus,” he said.

Fórsa will continue to provide information on pay talks developments to members in the coming days.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

Fórsa communications unit is asking members to complete this short survey, and tell us what you think of the union’s bulletins.

The union’s communications team produce the bulletins you receive every fortnight, with input from across the union.

We would like feedback on what you like about the bulletins, and what you think could be improved.

We want to make sure you are informed and up to date with the union’s campaigns, actions and activities. So please take a few minutes and complete this short survey. 

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

Fórsa’s Skills Academy is wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and happy and healthy new year. 

The Skills Academy is looking forward to creating new learner networks and building greater capacity amongst our workplace representatives in 2024. 

In the meantime, you can catch up on our Lunch and Learn sessions, and if you have any queries you can contact Judith at skillsacademy@forsa.ie.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

The distribution of union calendars and wallplanners is currently underway, with shipments arriving to branches over the coming week.

If you need additional stock, please contact calendars@forsa.ie

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.