Printer Friendly Version

Feature Article

The purpose of the Fórsa audio news bulletin is to provide members with another way to stay up to date with what’s happening across the union.

The audio format allows members to hear directly from the officials whose job it is to represent them. It also means that much of the content available in the written news bulletin is more accessible.

Each episode will consist of updates from across the union’s five divisions as well as interviews with officials, elected officers and external expert guests.

To listen, click the ‘play’ icon on the main page of this news bulletin. If your email server is preventing you from being able to see this ‘play’ icon, simply click HERE instead to listen on the SoundCloud streaming website.

Articles A

Ryanair recognition talks underway
by Bernard Harbor

Talks have begun with airline management following confirmation that it now recognises the union as the representative of its pilots for collective bargaining purposes.

Representatives of Ryanair pilots, and Fórsa officials, have had a number of meetings with airline management after the company gave written confirmation that it now recognised the union as the representative of its pilots for collective bargaining purposes.

The meetings are aimed at agreeing a comprehensive recognition agreement that will establish collective bargaining procedures in the airline. The pilots are members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA), a branch of Fórsa.

The union has said it expects management to reach agreement on recognition procedures quickly so that the parties can move on to negotiate substantial issues around pilots’ pay, working conditions and contractual arrangements.

Separately, company management has urged its Dublin-based pilots to accept a pay proposal that pre-dates its decision to recognise the union. IALPA has convened meetings with its members in Ryanair. Fórsa has told management it will ballot on a no-strings pay package as an interim measure, pending engagement on pay following completion of a recognition agreement.

Fórsa head of division Angela Kirk called on the company to accept that collective bargaining meant dealing with pay issues through the union. “If Fórsa is recognised by the company for collective bargaining, which it now is, pay must be negotiated with the union and it's our responsibility to ballot members on any outcome," she said.

In the run-up to Christmas, Fórsa official Ashley Connolly said union recognition in Ryanair was an historic achievement that would resonate beyond the company.

“We think it will assist thousands of workers elsewhere, who want independent workplace representation but whose anti-union employers had been encouraged and emboldened by Ryanair’s previous antipathy towards unions. This breakthrough, which was made possible by the principled resolve of IALPA and Ryanair pilots, should be an encouragement to workers across the economy,” she said.

Fórsa secures pay deals in state commercial and private sector
by Niall Shanahan

Fórsa has secured a range of pay deals in the state commercial and private sectors up to 2020. The pay improvements reflect continuing improvements in pay in both the public and private sectors, with many running over a three to four year period.

Fórsa official Johnny Fox recently outlined a number of the pay agreement details secured for the period to the Services and Enterprises divisional executive.

Dublin Airport Authority and Cork Airport

Three year agreement running from 1st April 2017 to the 31st March 2020
3% annual increase in basic salary on the 1st April 2017, 2018 and 2019
New pay bands for management and professional grades
Annual performance bonus
Minimum 10% salary increase on promotion

The agreement follows a two year deal from 2014 to 2016 providing pay increases of 2.2% per annum, and the early restoration of pay cuts of 8% imposed as part of a cost recovery programme in 2012. The restoration was 18 months ahead of schedule.

Discussions are currently underway on restructuring proposals at Shannon Airport which is to be followed by pay negotiations. To pave the way for these discussions management agreed to the early restoration of pay cuts which restored approximately 8% of pay cuts to Fórsa members.

Aer Lingus

39 month agreement from April 2017 to June 2020
3% base salary increase on 1st April 2017
2.75% base salary increase on the 1st May 2018
2.75% on the 1st June 2019
Additional percentage increases based on productivity to be negotiated locally
Discussions to commence on establishing a company-wide profit sharing scheme.

Coillte

48 month agreement from January 2017 to December 2020
Pay bands reduced from six bands to five bands: Minimum and maximum of each band will increase by 2% from 1st January 2017, by 1% from the 1st January 2019 and 1% from the 1st January 2020, with additional measures agreed for those whose salary is above or below the median pay band
Performance related annual bonus of 5% of salary in the event company annual targets are achieved, with further potential increases for exceptional individual performance
Minimum salary increase of 8% on promotion.

The agreement follows on from a 2012-16 agreement which achieved overall base pay increase of 4% and average performance increases of 2 to 3% per annum.

Johnny also outlined upcoming pay discussions in Irish Water, which could see a new pay model introduced for 2018 and 2019. In P&O Maritime the union and the company are due to conclude an extended pay agreement of up to three years' duration before the end of April.

At the Irish Aviation Authority, a four year pay deal, with 1.5% pay increases each year, is due to conclude at the end of 2019.

Congress advice

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has advised affiliated unions in the private sector to seek compensation, where appropriate, for the “excessive costs” of housing, childcare and pensions, in addition to “a minimum pay increase of 3.1%” to take account of normal productivity and cost of living factors, for pay claims in 2018.

The Congress Private Sector Committee issued the advisory on pay bargaining for 2018 last month to member unions in the private sector, pointing out that “through the normal collective bargaining processes and where appropriate, affiliate private sector unions should seek compensation for the excessive costs associated with housing, childcare provision and pensions.

“This is in addition to a minimum pay increase of 3.1% to take account of normal productivity and cost of living factors,” according to the Congress bulletin.

The bulletin notes that workers in Ireland endure the second highest childcare costs in the OECD, while many workers on average wages struggle to rent or buy homes, across the country. In large urban areas such as Dublin housing can account for up to 47% of total essential expenditure.

It references detailed research from the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) on the high cost of housing, childcare, pensions and on wage trends, and notes that the Minimum Wage would have to increase by over 24% to reach the level of the Living Wage.

It also notes that labour productivity is forecast to increase by up to 1.4% in 2018 and 2019.

Non-commercial semi states in New Year pay boost
by Bernard Harbor

Staff working in non-commercial state agencies are due a 1% pay increase with effect from 1st January 2018, under the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA)

Staff working in non-commercial state agencies are due a 1% pay increase with effect from 1st January 2018, under the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) negotiated by Fórsa and other public service unions. The next instalment of the deal, which was backed by members of the three unions that recently amalgamated to create our new union, will see a further 1% adjustment in October.

In total, the PSSA will deliver income restoration worth over 7% of salary to more than 70% of non-commercial semi-state staff, as well as civil and public servants, between now and 2020.

Late last year, a timetable for the full abolition of FEMPI legislation, which underpinned public service pay cuts and pension levies, was officially outlined with the publication of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill. This also gave effect to the provisions of the PSSA.

Fórsa general secretary Shay Cody said the legislation was a landmark in the union campaign to restore incomes, which were cut by an average of around 14% under FEMPI during the recession.

“This legislation underpins the pay adjustments agreed in the PSSA deal, including a 1% increase due now. More significantly, it establishes a legal timetable for the dismantling of the hated FEMPI legislation. This is what Fórsa and other unions have been working for since the pension levy was first imposed on public servants in 2009,” he said.

The PSSA will see pay lost through ‘FEMPI’ legislation restored to more than 90% of civil and public servants – those earning up to €70,000 a year – by the end of 2020. Almost all the rest will see full pay restoration within a further two years.

It also preserves the value of public service pensions, while taking almost a quarter of public servants out of FEMPI pension levy provisions by 2020. This will be done by increasing the pension levy ceiling from €28,750 to €34,500 for all staff except those who benefit from ‘fast accrual’ pension arrangements. This will be worth a total of €575 per year.

Any remaining pension levy will be converted into a ‘pension related deduction’ (PRD). Staff who joined the public service on or after 1st January 2013 will pay a smaller additional contribution, reflecting the fact that their pension benefits are different to the schemes applying to those who joined before that date.

The legislation repeals the 2009 FEMPI Act with effect from 1st January 2018. It also repeals section 2(3) of the 2009 FEMPI No.2 Act – the legislation that reduced fixed periodic allowances by 5% – from 1st October 2020. Section 5(1) of the 2009 Act is also repealed from January 2021, which will allow the Labour Court and WRC to consider ‘cost-increasing claims’ from that date.

PSSA income adjustments

1st January 2018: 1% pay adjustment
1st October 2018: 1% pay adjustment
1st January 2019: Pension levy threshold up from €28,750 to €32,000 (worth €325pa)
1st January 2019: 1% pay adjustment for those earning less than €30,000
1st September 2019: 1.75% pay adjustment
1st January 2020: Pension levy threshold increased to €34,500 (worth €250pa)
1st January 2020: 0.5% pay increase for those earning less than €32,000
1st October 2020: 2% pay adjustment

Fórsa clears final hurdle
by Bernard Harbor

The final piece of the Fórsa jigsaw was put in place on 2nd January, when the Registrar for Friendly Societies confirmed that the new union was registered and cleared to start work on behalf of more than 80,000 members.

The new union launched with a brand new visual identity, and with strong backing from the members of the three organisations – the CPSU, IMPACT, and the PSEU – which had put in over two years’ work to make the amalgamation happen.

Those three unions effectively ceased to exist once the merger was sanctioned after a six-week statutory period that followed ballots, which strongly endorsed the move.

Fórsa now collectively represents workers across the civil and public services, commercial and non-commercial semi-state organisations, the community and voluntary sector, and private companies in aviation, telecommunications and elsewhere.

We are the second largest union in the country, and the strongest and most influential trade union voice in the Irish public service and semi-state sector.

After pooling the resources of the three former unions, Fórsa is also financially stronger, with €85 million in assets including a €50 million dispute fund. So, while members’ subscriptions are unchanged, the new organisation offers an enhanced range of financial benefits and free helplines.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), which brings together organisations with a combined membership of over 800,000, described the arrival of Fórsa as “highly significant and very positive for the Irish trade union movement.”

Its general secretary Patricia King said: “Fórsa provides a strong new voice for workers across a range of areas, and it will also enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the wider trade union movement across the island.”

Fórsa seeks leave improvement
by Bernard Harbor and Derek Mullen

Fórsa has sought the formal application, in the non-commercial semi-state sector, of improved leave arrangements won for clerical and admin staff under the Public Services Stability Agreement (PSSA).

The changes, which are now being applied in the civil service, will give clerical and executive officers with 12 years’ service an extra day’s annual leave from 1st January 2018. Those with 14 years’ service will get a further day.

Fórsa head of division Angela Kirk has tabled the issue for discussion at the next meeting of the state sector PSSA oversight committee, which monitors the implementation of the agreement. “We believe the changes should apply to relevant grades in the non-commercial semi states,” she said.

Compulsory retirement age raised
by Bernard Harbor

The Government is to legislate to allow non-commercial semi-state workers who are currently obliged to retire at age 65 to opt to stay in work longer.

The Government is to legislate to allow non-commercial semi-state workers who are currently obliged to retire at age 65 to opt to stay in work longer. Once enacted, the law will give public servants recruited before 1st April 2004 the option to retire at any time up to age 70.

The new arrangements will benefit those who must currently retire at 65, but who depend on the state old age pension for part of their retirement income. They have faced a problem since the state pension age was increased from 65 to 66.

Semi-state workers recruited after 1st April 2004 are not affected because they either have a retirement age of 70 already, or they have no compulsory retirement age.

Press reports last November predicted that the new measure would mean a compulsory increase in the retirement age for all non-commercial semi-state staff. It does not.

Fórsa had been campaigning to resolve the plight of workers who are forced to retire at age 65, but who cannot access the state pension until they are 66. Discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform took place under the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA), which was backed by the union’s members in ballots last year.

Pending the enactment of legislation to introduce the change, unions and management have agreed limited interim arrangements to allow semi-state staff who want to stay in work until the state pension age to be re-hired. Under these interim arrangements, workers can retire and receive their lump sum, before being re-hired in their current role.

However, they will be placed on the first point of the non-pensionable pay scale, and they will not make further pension contributions. Although this arrangement is not ideal, it means that public servants won’t be forced to retire before they are due payment of their full pension.

Also in this issue

Divisional conference set for April
by Sean Carabini

The biennial Fórsa Services and Enterprises divisional conference will take place in Galway on 12th and 13th April.

Fórsa is continuing the long-established tradition of putting members and branches at the centre of policy formation and decision-making. The tried and trusted mechanism for doing this is the union delegate conference. The biennial Fórsa Services and Enterprises divisional conference will take place in Galway on 12th and 13th April.

Fórsa has a biennial conference cycle, primarily to ensure that decisions on issues of relevance to a division are made by branches in that division. In the normal course of events, a Services and Enterprises divisional conference will take place one year with a national conference, incorporating all Fórsa divisions, taking place the following year.

This year will be the exception. Given the need to get the union’s elected officers in place, and to deliberate on national issues, a national conference will also take place this year. Details will issue to branches separately.

Every Fórsa branch with members in the Services and Enterprises division is entitled to send one or more delegates to the April divisional conference, with larger branches entitled to send proportionately more delegates.

Motions and nominations for the preliminary agenda must be received by 12 noon on 25th January. The preliminary agenda will issue to branches on 15th February, and any amendments from branches must be received by 1st March. The final agenda goes to branches on 29th March.

Sex harassment law change sought
by Sean Carabini

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is seeking legal changes to make it easier for victims to report sexually abusive behaviour in the workplace.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is seeking legal changes to make it easier for victims to report sexually abusive behaviour in the workplace. The move comes after months of intense focus on workplace sexual harassment in Ireland and across the globe.

Congress general secretary Patricia King has written to employment affairs minister Regina Doherty, saying that reports of workplace sexual misconduct should be treated as ‘protected disclosures,’ which could be made to external bodies like the Workplace Relations Commission or Health and Safety Authority.

Under existing legislation, sexual harassment is categorised as a ‘grievance,’ which means workers must direct their complaints to employers. However, as Ms King points out in her letter: “very often the perpetrator can be the most senior-ranked person in the employment.”

Ms King said sexual harassment in the workplace pollutes the working environment. “It can have a devastating effect on the health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected by it,” she said.

Separately, Fórsa and other unions criticised a minister of state, whose discriminatory comments resulted in a €7,500 compensation award towards the end of last year. The case was taken by the PSEU, one of the unions that merged to form the new union.

During an interview for the post of private secretary to Minister John Halligan, the Waterford TD asked the candidate: “Are you a married woman? Do you have children? How old are your children?

A Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication officer declared the comments discriminatory under equality legislation, after the Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) took up the case.

Minister Halligan bizarrely claimed he had simply been championing “family friendly” work arrangements. In a statement, he also cited his inexperience at interviewing. “This was the first time I was conducting an interview of this sort and I did not realise that it was unacceptable to ask such a question,” he said. However, the candidate told the WRC that he had prefaced his question by saying: “I know I shouldn’t say this.”

Coalition seeks pension cut reversal
by Bernard Harbor

Fórsa joined a broad coalition in a demonstration to demand the reversal of 2012 pension cuts.

Fórsa joined a broad coalition of unions, and organisations campaigning for pensioners and women, in yesterday's demonstration to demand the reversal of 2012 pension cuts, which fall hardest on women.

The coalition, which brings the union together with Age Action Ireland, Active Retirement Ireland, the National Women’s Council, the Irish Countrywomen’s Association and Siptu, has also sought an urgent meeting with social protection minister Regina Doherty.

The cabinet sub-committee on pensions discussed the issue yesterday (Wednesday).

It’s estimated that as many as 40,000 people – mostly women who left the workforce to rear children or care for others – have been hit by the changes, which mean state pension entitlements are based on an average of the contributions made during each year at work. Crucially, the methodology takes the first PRSI payment as the starting point for averaging, which can drastically reduce the annual average payment for workers who paid PRSI in part-time student jobs.

Those who took time out of the workforce to raise a family, or to care for relatives, after 1994 are not affected. But many of those currently reaching retirement left work before that year.

Fórsa and other coalition members wrote to Minister Doherty last month. “Though greatly disappointed that no measure to address this inequality was announced in October’s budget, we welcome your subsequent commitment to find a solution, and your plan to bring a proposal to cabinet,” they said.

Precarious work is now common
by Bernard Harbor

Precarious working arrangements have now spread across the economy according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

Precarious working arrangements have now spread across the economy and feature increasingly in public administration, health and education, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

A new ICTU report, Insecure and Uncertain: Precarious Work in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, has revealed that 8% of the Republic’s workforce – or 158,190 people – see significant variations in their weekly or monthly working hours, while 7% of workers are in temporary employment, often because they can’t find permanent work.

The alarming growth in precarious work since 2008 has prompted ICTU to urge the Government to legislate to address the problem. It wants new laws to guarantee the right to a minimum number of working hours, and provide workers with a written statement of their terms and conditions from day one of their employment.

Last month, ICTU welcomed new legislation aimed at banning zero hours contracts in all cases except emergency cover, short-term relief work, or genuine casual work.

The Congress report shows a dramatic 34% rise in part-time work and self-employment, which ICTU says is “indicative of significant growth in bogus or false self-employment.”

The number of people in permanent full-time work is still over 100,000 lower than in 2008, despite significant growth in the total number of people in work. And over half of those in temporary employment says it’s because they can’t find permanent jobs – a 179% increase on the 2008 figure.

The study found that female and young workers were most likely to be stuck in precarious or insecure jobs. And, while precarious work is most common in distribution, hotels, catering, retail and construction, it also features increasingly in public administration, health and education.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the research confirmed the urgent need for legislation. “As the study clearly illustrates, the impact of precarious work extends well beyond the workplace and its unchallenged growth raises profound questions as to the type of society we wish to live in,” she said.

The study found that official policies like reducing employers’ PRSI on low-paid work had made it easier and more profitable to hire workers on insecure contracts. Yet these practices impact negatively on workers’ health, living standards, and ability to access secure accommodation. They also hit productivity and innovation, while reducing tax revenues for the state.

Keeping you in touch
by Bernard Harbor

Fórsa has developed a full suite of publications for union members.

You’re reading one of five new fortnightly Fórsa bulletins. This one’s tailored for members in education. We also have bespoke editions for members in the civil service, health, local authorities and the services and enterprises sector.

The initiative represents our determination to improve member communications in the new union.

We’ve also published the first edition of our new Fórsa magazine (see picture), which should now be available in your workplace.

The new Fórsa website will take a little longer to get in place, simply because of the scale of the task of merging the best from the former union websites, adding new content, and finalising a top-class design. Staff from each of the three former unions have been working together in this, and we expect to have the new Fórsa website up in March.

In the meantime, you can go to a holding page at www.forsa.ie. This page links to our social media platforms – on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Soundcloud. Our first tweet reached over 16,400 people. And, since the start of the year, we’ve had over 1,370 Facebook engagements.

We look forward to delivering further improvements in Fórsa communications and information over the coming months. Do let us know what you think!

Bernard Harbor, Fórsa head of communications.