The anticipated move towards more widespread remote working is an opportunity to look afresh at issues around working time and work-life balance, according to Fórsa.. The union is preparing to make a submission to a Government consultation on remote working, which was launched yesterday (9^th July 2020).

Fórsa will argue that sectoral agreements on home working should protect workers in specific employments, but that these should be based on principles agreed with unions at a national level.

It also says the consultation should encompass a public conversation on the amount of time we spend at work, and the balance between work and other responsibilities. The union has been campaigning for reductions in working time across all sectors of the economy, and has spearheaded the ‘four-day week’ initiative in Ireland.

Official figures show that up to a third of employees were working remotely at the height of the Covid-19 public health crisis. Fórsa wants to retain the option for remote working – with adequate safeguards – for staff and organisations that want it.

But the union insists that emergency measures introduced during a crisis cannot simply continue without the negotiation of formal staff protections.

Fórsa issued guidance to members working from home back in May, and the union is currently drawing up a comprehensive negotiators’ guide in anticipation of sectoral talks on remote working policies.

The union’s advice covers health and safety, employers’ responsibilities, work-life balance, staying connected with the workplace, childcare, mental health, security, data protection and other issues.

The extended period of home working has been a new experience for most workers and their organisations, but it is widely expected to become a more normal part of working life in Ireland and elsewhere.

A recent survey found that only 12% of business leaders believe all their staff will return to work premises once Covid-19 restrictions are eased. Almost a third said they were considering downsizing office space, while 40% predicted an equal mix of staff working in the office and remotely.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said the union wanted to maintain the option for home working for those who wanted it. But he said a structured approach with proper safeguards was now required.

“Many workers have established a productive and rewarding remote routine, but it can be a struggle for others whose accommodation or personal circumstances don’t support this way of working.

“Fórsa wants to preserve the benefits of remote working for staff, their employers and the environment. But we need to ensure that proper safeguards are in place, and that the criteria for determining who works at home include an element of choice and a recognition that some people are just unable to sustain remote working for long periods of time.

“This is also an opportunity to look afresh at issues around working time and work-life balance, and Fórsa wants to ensure that this isn’t lost in the public conversation or in negotiations with employers,” he said.

The union also says remote working shouldn’t harm workers’ career prospects or weaken employment relationships.

The Government consultation is being conducted by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, which says it will produce guidance for employers and employees on foot of the exercise. 

Read Fórsa’s remote working guidelines HERE.

Get more on the Government’s consultation HERE.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa has welcomed health department clarification of its advice on the need to quarantine library books, and says this should lead to a standard approach across Ireland’s local authorities.

The head of the union’s Local Government Division, Peter Nolan, said earlier correspondence from the department was confusing, and had led councils to adopt a variety of approaches to library safety measures.

The current health guidelines say libraries don’t need to quarantine returned books provided they have informed service users about the necessary safety procedures. These say that people should not borrow books if they are feeling sick, and that people using library services must wash their hands regularly.

They also require people who develop Covid-19 symptoms, after having borrowed from the library, to quarantine books at home for a 72-hour period after completing the necessary 14-day self-isolation period and being fever-free for five days.

Welcoming the clarification, Peter said the earlier steer had led to confusion. “This was a cause of concern to our members so it’s positive the new guidance unambiguously states the onus for quarantining books does not fall to library staff and instead is up to service users to ensure proper safeguards,” he said.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa has called for an urgent meeting with local government employers after they threatened to renege on agreed pay increases for civil defence officers.

Management made the move after the officers resolved not to undertake new duties until their claim for the appointment of assistants was agreed and implemented.

In a letter to the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which represents council employers, Fórsa’s head of local government, Peter Nolan, said the union would not tolerate pay threats to civil defence staff.

“We will not hesitate to robustly defend members’ interests, particularly in circumstances where the employers are threatening pay after having previously acknowledged the merits of our claim. There would be vast implications for the service should members withdraw their enormous voluntary efforts,” he said.

Civil defence officers have been instrumental in coordinating the local authority response to the coronavirus pandemic, including supports to vulnerable members of the public. However, senior volunteers are sometimes required to take on duties that are only appropriate to employees because of a lack of resources.

It’s been over 18 months since the issue was first raised, yet there still hasn’t been any significant progress made.

“The public would be better served if management would simply provide a solution to this problem as the continuation of services relies exclusively on voluntary time and hours given by civil defence officers,” said Peter.

The union is awaiting response from the LGMA and has made it clear it’s available to meet at short notice.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

More than a million people have now downloaded the Covid-19 tracker app, which was launched by the HSE on Tuesday. The app is designed to boost contact tracing measures by enabling users to identify close contacts and to alert them quickly if they need to test for the virus.

Fórsa is encouraging union members to download the app to their smartphone as part of the national effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The app was developed by the HSE with input from a range of official bodies including Gardai and the office of the government chief information officer.

Research conducted by Science Foundation Ireland, who are technical partners in the project, shows that most people in Ireland are in favour of an app, with 82% of respondents willing to install it.

Acting chief medical officer Ronan Glynn said testing and contact tracing would remain vital until there is a vaccine or an effective treatment for the virus.

“The app is integral to contact tracing, working in tandem with the key public health measures of social distancing, hand washing, covering our coughs and wearing face coverings, helping us to stay safe and to protect each other,” he said.

The HSE’s chief executive Paul Reid said the app can reduce – from days to hours – the time it takes to trace close contacts, including close contacts who are not known to each other.

“Every additional contact that the app can trace will improve our existing contact tracing operations. By downloading the app, you are helping us to reach more people in a shorter time period and to provide the right advice and access to testing. This will increase our capacity to suppress the virus,” he said.

Get more information about the app HERE.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Over a million people are still dependent on State income supports, according to official figures, although 63,000 stopped claiming the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) last week.

This was the biggest boost in people returning to employment since the Covid-19 crisis began in March, according to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP).

It said the biggest returns to work were happening in accommodation and food, hairdressing, wholesale and retail, construction and motor repairs.

Almost 413,000 people are currently getting the PUP, with a similar number being supported by the Covid-19 temporary wage subsidy scheme, which is paid to employers. In addition, there are 220,800 people on the live register.

This week also saw the introduction of a two-tier PUP payment, with a lower weekly rate of €203 for those who earned less than €200 prior to being laid off. DEASP says this will affect about a quarter of those who receive the payment.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Ireland’s CervicalCheck programme has restarted after a 17-week suspension due to Covid-19. The HSE expects cervical smear appointments suspended during the coronavirus period to be completed by the end of October, with the backlog of tests scheduled to take place over the summer expected to be cleared by next February. 

In the meantime, women who show symptoms of cervical cancer are being advised to contact their GP immediately, rather than wait for a smear.

Some 100,000 women missed a test since the service was paused in March. 

The introduction of HPV screening, which is expected to be more effective than the previous cytology method, is also expected to be slow the test process.

The HSE has also introduced new public health measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the screening environment.

Get more information about cervical screening during the pandemic HERE.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

Post-pandemic economic reconstruction is an opportunity to create a more equal society where all work is valued, according to president Michael D Higgins. Speaking at a global summit on ‘Covid-19 and the world of work’ earlier this week, he said the global health crisis had exposed the failures of the world’s economies, and called for a “new balance between economy, ecology, society and culture.”

The summit was organised by the International Labour Organisation, a United Nations body made up of representatives of governments, employers and unions.

“This Covid-19 crisis, that follows the earlier banking crisis, has laid bare the consequences of profound economic and social inequalities, which, taken together with widespread inadequacies in social protection, have scarred our global landscape for many decades.

“Tragically, instead of recognising the inequities of current systems, many governments and employers across the globe have used the crisis to further restrict the rights of working people through limiting collective bargaining, disrupting the right to strike, excluding workers from participation in the economy through their unions, and, in some cases, impeding even the registration of unions as part of civil society,” he said.

President Higgins called for strong rights to collective bargaining, secure work and adequate social protection.

“We continue to witness increases in precarious employment, contract working, and an ongoing casualisation of labour, with new and emerging trends in work practices that are often deemed ‘innovations’, innovations insofar as they provide new means to maximise profits for employers, but in their practical delivery reveal the ongoing erosion of employees’ hard-won labour rights,” he said.

President Higgins said digitalisation could have a positive impact on work, but that online workers needed the protection of basic employment law, collective agreements and social protection.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

The next instalment of Fórsa’s series of live wellness webinars takes place at 11am next Wednesday (15th July) when motivational speaker and author Ryan O’Reilly talks with rugby pundit and psychotherapist Brent Pope about staying motivated in work and at home over the coming months. The earlier sessions – on parenting in a pandemic, managing anxiety and eating habits are now available as podcasts.

Next Wednesdays session is the fourth in a series of five events brought to you in association with Cornmarket, who administer two of the union’s salary protection schemes.

Ryan O’Reilly will focus on staying motivated, as we continue to wrestle with the upheaval of Covid 19.

An expert in high performance and resilience Ryan is a professional performance coach who helps business leaders and entrepreneurs build high performance teams and realise their potential. A renowned international speaker and author, his speaking engagements have included a TedX in Italy and Ireland’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Summit.

Broadcaster, psychotherapist and mental health advocate Brent Pope will host the session. Best known for his work with RTÉ Sport, the former New Zealand rugby player and professional rugby coach recently qualified as a psychotherapist and councillor. Brent is also involved in several mental health charities, and is an ambassador for St Patrick's Hospital, Pieta House and Cycle Against Suicide, amongst others.

See a taster of what’s on offer HERE.

The series was informed by recent survey, which found that 80% of Fórsa members experienced anxiety during the Covid-19 crisis. Half of the respondents said mental health and lack of motivation were their top concerns.

The results reflect the stress of a period when thousands of Fórsa members have stepped-up to serve in high-risk frontline environments, with many more having to rapidly adjust to remote working.

Register for ‘Staying Motivated’  (11am, Wednesday 15th July) HERE.

Get more details on future Fórsa-Cornmarket ‘Wellness Wednesday’ events HERE.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

You can help us keep you up-to-date with union information, news and advice by checking your contact details and amending them if necessary. If we have your home and personal contact details (personal email, mobile phone number, and home address) we can get information to you quickly and directly. You can update your contact details HERE.

Existing Fórsa members in the union’s local government and municipal employees’ divisions are eligible to take up six months’ free salary protection if they join the Cornmarket salary protection scheme. The offer closes on 31st October.

The scheme gives participants up to 75% of salary if their pay is reduced by half or more because they are unable to work because of illness or injury. It also includes some life cover and specified illness benefits.

The offer is only available to existing members who are applying to join the scheme for the first time. It’s not available to existing or past members of salary protection schemes administered by Cornmarket.

The details of the offer are available HERE. 

The Fórsa summer series of webinars on campaigning issues continues later today (Friday).

You can join the lunchtime session HERE at 1pm for a discussion on campaigning, with contributions from experts including consultant Dr. Gráinne Healy, Fórsa lead organiser Kevin Donoghue, and Salome Mbugua of AkiDwA.

The panel will discuss practical elements of campaigning and give tips on how to be effective with limited resources. It will also discuss how to ensure that your campaign is open, inclusive and participative so that all activists feel empowered to contribute.

Designed to equip the union’s senior activists with the skills and tools to lead local campaigns, the summer series offers opportunities to discuss and debate on some of the pressing issues of interest to Fórsa activists across a range of economic, social, equality and environmental topics.

To register for upcoming sessions on universal healthcare (16th July), climate action and automation (24th July), and the future of work (31st July) please click HERE.

Be sure to follow the event on Twitter using the hashtag #FórsaSummerSeries.

Last week’s webinar discussed the rights to collective bargaining. A recap from last Friday is available here.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

Irish trade unions have joined the global condemnation of Israel’s plan to annex substantial parts of the West Bank and the Jordan valley this month.

The move is part of a so-called Middle East “peace plan,” proposed by the Trump administration, which has attracted huge international criticism.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has condemned the move, which will dislocate some 200,000 Palestinians, as a violation of international law. And, with privately owned Palestinian land making up 23% of the area, the land-grab will extinguish most of the Palestinian agricultural sector.

Critics says the move will sever any prospects for genuine negotiations for a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict, while perpetuating human rights and international humanitarian law violations.

ICTU this week called on the Irish Government to urgently reject this plan, and to exert pressure on the Israeli government to block its further implementation. 

It noted that a proposed ‘occupied territories bill,’ which could have facilitated a strong Irish response, was dropped from the recently-adopted Programme for Government.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

Workers who wish to join Fórsa can to do so using a new ‘join online’ function on the union’s website.

Going live with the new system follows several months of research, preparation and testing aimed at making it easier than ever to join the union. It also goes live as the union continues to process a large number of new membership applications, as interest in joining the union has surged since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

Fórsa’s general secretary Kevin Callinan commented: “The current crisis has created the necessity to be able to carry out our business in different ways. Work on this project had commenced before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, and its completion marks a vital step as we tackle the challenges of living in changed times.

“We can see that more people want to join a union in response to what’s happening in the wider economy. It’s vital that they can take those initial steps quickly and easily, and making the membership application process more accessible is part of that process.

“This is a crucial new venture to enable Fórsa to substantially increase our membership - and to strengthen the union’s hand - at a critical time in the union’s development,” he said.

The online facility is a streamlined and simplified membership application process, and will be the quickest and easiest way to join the union. All incoming applications will continue to be subject to check-off and approval by Fórsa branches and the national executive committee, while the new online system is designed to ease the administrative burden on branches.

You can join Fórsa online at https://join.forsa.ie/

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.