Aviation employers like Aer Lingus have taken a tumble down in rankings as the choice of employer for professionals in 2021. And, according to the ‘most attractive employers index,’ public service organisations have leap-frogged most compared to private sector employers, many of which saw a fall in rank in this year’s results.

The data was released last week by Universum, which surveyed over 11,000 professionals employed across 48 industries. Its survey found a fall in favourability for tech giants such as Facebook, Amazon, and Apple, though Google maintained its top position as the employer of choice.

But the civil service and HSE rose in the rankings and are now placed second and fourth respectively. The Department of Education, HSE and civil service took the top three spots for professionals in the humanities and social sciences fields, with Google trailing in fourth.

The HSE remained the top choice for health professionals, with Pfizer in second spot. That company featured quite prominently across as an employer of choice in this year’s lists due to the pandemic’s effects.

The survey also found the top criteria for selecting an employer were competitive base salary, secure employment and work-life balance, in that order.

A gender-wise breakdown showed women most valued secure employment and better work-life balance, while men were more influenced by the competitive base salary on offer.

Steve Ward, UK and Ireland director for Universum said: “For employers who are striving to improve the gender balance in their workforce, it is important that they understand the varying motivations of both cohorts.”

While a shift toward public bodies and domestic employers can be seen in this year’s index, the report’s authors warn of a drastic reshuffle of the current situation in the coming months, with more than half of Irish professionals surveyed reporting to be on the look-out for a new job.

Ward also said he believed the rise in rank of public service and domestic bodies could be attributed to the pandemic, in particular the “proactive role” many played in supporting the community during the last 18 months.

The full ranking of employers for 2021 can be found here.

Fórsa and SIPTU, representing workers in local employment services (LES) and job clubs, are expected to meet with officials of the Department of Social Protection in early November. The meeting, requested by the unions, follows an agreement that communication would continue between the parties about the future of the services.

At a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection in September, Fórsa official Lynn Coffey highlighted union concerns that a Government-imposed tendering process favours for-profit providers over the current community-focussed, not-for-profit service. Lynn told the committee that privatisation, job losses and a diminished employment service is likely unless the Government changes course, and that dedicated, experienced staff members had delivered the service for more than 25 years and had delivered it well.

Following the Oireachtas committee meeting, the department indicated its willingness to reflect on the concerns raised both by unions and representatives of the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN). The department subsequently issued a letter to all LES partners, confirming that a new contract for the provision of LES and job club services has issued, limited to a period of no longer than six months, extending current service arrangements up to the end of June 2022.

Both Fórsa and SIPTU wrote to social protection minister Heather Humphreys last week seeking follow-up discussions between the parties. A meeting is now expected to take place in early November.

The group of unions representing staff at DAA, the State company responsible for managing Dublin and Cork airports, has referred an issue over pay progression and increments to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

Fórsa, along with the other unions, has highlighted managements failure to engage at local level regarding pay progression and increments to the WRC.

Fórsa had invited management to engage with this issue as far back as July of this year.

Payments were initially suspended following on from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry.

Fórsa Assistant General Gecretary, Lynn Coffey, said Fórsa and other unions maintain their position, that they are willing to sit at the table with management to address this issue at local level while the opportunity to do so still exists.

“Our members within the aviation services have gone through the pandemic experiencing greatly reduced hours and pay. Now we have commenced the recovery phase of this pandemic, it’s disappointing that the issue of pay progression and increments for union members has to be referred to the WRC. There’s still a window of opportunity for management to meet locally and engage with unions around this issue,” said Lynn.

Maintaining living standards against a background of rising living costs will be the priority in future pay negotiations, according to Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan. Speaking at the Pdforra conference last week, he said: “If the return of inflation is sustained over time there will certainly be a renewed focus on the cost of living when negotiations on a new public service deal get underway.”

Pdforra represents enlisted personnel throughout the defence forces.

The latest year-on-year figures show Irish inflation running at 2.85%. With the figure at over 4% in Germany, Kevin pointed to a new tolerance of inflation among European policymakers and central banks. This includes the European Central Bank, which shows no signs of increasing interest rates – its traditional response to growing living costs.

“This approach presents significant opportunities in terms of employment, public services and infrastructure. But it has a different impact on the lower paid in all sectors, for whom cost of living increases are far more than a mere statistical indicator,” he said.

He added that the daily costs borne by workers, particularly the lower paid, are not fully reflected in the Consumer Price Index, which is the standard measure of inflation.

“I speak here of rent or mortgage payments, childcare costs, and fuel prices that are set to further rocket. These necessities form very large elements of weekly outgoings for lower and middle income families, regardless of what sector they work in,” he said.

The current two-year public service pay agreement is untypically short, and expires in December 2022. Talks on its successor are expected to get underway in early summer 2021.

Kevin told delegates that the Building Momentum agreement was significantly skewed in favour of lower-paid workers, with a €500 a year floor in pay rises that gives those on lower incomes significantly larger percentage increases than higher-paid staff.

He said improving living standards while poverty-proofing lower pay would fit with the Coalition’s stated objective of moving to a living wage. And he called on the Government to play its part as an employer, noting that many public servants – including in the defence forces – earned below the living wage.

In its economic commentary published last week, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said it expected inflation to average 2.3% this year and 2.5% in 2022. It said Covid recovery, energy prices and global supply chain problems were feeding inflationary pressures in many countries.

Fórsa has expressed concern that over 350,000 pensioners could be hit with PRSI for the first time under new proposals from the Pensions Commission. It has recommended the removal of the exemption on PRSI payments for people aged 66.

The union says that, if adopted, this approach would unfairly affect certain groups of pensioners, including public service pensioners with occupational pensions worth less than the State pension rate.

The Pensions Commission report, published last week, also recommends a delay in the proposed increase age of eligibility for State pension. The commission now says this should be introduced much more gradually over a longer period of time.

This is an improvement on previous Government policy, though the pension age would still rise to 67 and 68 for most people over time. The key recommendation is that the state pension will not reach the age of 67 until 2023.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) also voiced concerns over the implementation of PRSI to certain groups. Its general secretary Patricia King said that she was concerned that the removal of the PRSI exemption could unfairly and disproportionately affect certain groups of pensioners.

The incremental rise in the pension age is the option favoured by the Government and a sub-committee has been established to report back in six months on the best way to do so.

The Pensions Commission report addressed many issues raised by trade unions. It is now with the Government, which must decide which recommendations to implement.

You can read the full Report and Executive summary by clicking here.

The Cabinet will meet next Tuesday (19th October) to finalise the Government’s approach to the proposed removal of Covid-related public health restrictions, originally planned for next Friday (22nd October).

At the end of August, the Government announced its intention to sweep away virtually all restrictions from 22nd October. It said this would include waiving the requirement for social distancing in a move expected to accelerate the return to workplaces for staff who have been working fully or partly remotely.

But senior Government sources have this week expressed some doubt over the extent of the relaxation in restrictions, on foot of expert warnings over escalating Covid infections and risks to the health system. Asked if he could confirm that the next phase of reopening would proceed, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I can’t guarantee that right now.”

Senior Fórsa and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) officials are scheduled to meet next Friday to discuss the impact of any changes on public service staff. Following consultation with the union, any changes to the official position are expected to be expressed through a revision to an existing ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQ) document for public service managers.

The FAQs have been regularly amended throughout the pandemic as official health advice developed.

Meanwhile, Fórsa remains in talks about long-term remote or ‘blended’ working arrangements in the public service. 

The union has consistently argued that the return to workplaces must be safe, and should build on the positive pandemic experience of remote working, which has largely sustained or increased productivity while bringing wider benefits to employers, workers and society.

Fórsa this week welcomed the Budget announcement of improved tax relief for heating and electricity costs that arise from home working. But the union said meeting the additional costs associated with remote working remained under discussion in talks on a long-term framework for ‘blended working’ in the public service.

The union’s general secretary, Kevin Callinan, said a successful outcome to these negotiations, which are currently underway, would be far more significant than the Budget measures in terms of realising the Government’s January 2021 Remote Working Strategy. The strategy pledged to make remote working the norm for 20% of public sector staff.

Talks on a long-term framework for blended working in the civil service got underway in late September, and an intensive programme of meetings is underway this month. Once agreement is reached, the blended working framework is expected to inform discussions in other public sector organisations.

A Government ‘Blended Working Policy Statement,’ published in July, said the civil service would switch from pandemic-related remote working provisions to long-term blended working arrangements between September 2021 and March 2022.

Fórsa has told senior Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) officials that the civil service talks must conclude quickly to allow discussions to take place in other sectors in time for agreed policies to be in place by next spring. Management has agreed that this is the best approach.

The Budget measures announced this week will see tax relief on vouched electricity and heating costs arising from remote working increase from 10% to 30%. Relief on broadband costs is retained at 30%.

Employees can claim these reliefs if they work at home and their employer does not pay them a remote working allowance. Current rules allow employers to pay an allowance of up to €3.20 per day, with no tax liability for the employee.

Kevin Callinan said unions would be watching to see if the tax changes discourage employers from contributing towards heating and electricity costs for staff working remotely, and instead effectively pass the responsibility on to the public exchequer.

“Remote working brings benefits to employers too, and it’s not credible to expect staff to take on significant costs that are currently borne by their employers, particularly when fuel costs are spiking as we enter the colder months.

“But our priority is to ensure that objective and transparent criteria are established to determine which roles are suitable for remote working, and that these are applied fairly when people seek blended working arrangements. Fórsa is also seeking a range of worker protections on health and safety, mental health, work-life balance, privacy and access to flexitime and career opportunities,” he said.

The introduction of a four-day working week would decrease burnout, increase productivity, and establish a better work-life balance, according to Fórsa’s general secretary. Speaking to the Oireachtas committee on enterprise, trade and employment last week, Kevin Callinan said the four-day working model aimed to produce 100% productivity in 80% of the existing standard five-day working week.

Fórsa has been leading the Four Day Week Ireland campaign, which announced that 17 companies have signed up to its pilot programme. Launched earlier this year, the pilot aims to trial the effectiveness of reduced working time for Irish businesses.

Part of an international collaboration involving parallel pilot programmes in Britain, New Zealand and the USA, the pilot will support employers introducing a four-day week over a six-month period starting next February.

The campaign will provide business supports including a training programme developed by companies who have already successfully implemented a four-day week, coaching and advice from four-day week business leaders, plus research and expert analysis.

Fórsa has also asked local authorities to get involved in the pilot, and Dublin city councillors voted to do so earlier this year.

Kevin said the concept had been proven to work in a number of companies across the globe. “The trial aims to show how it can make a real difference that benefits employers and staff but also, in doing so, is better for the economy, for society and for the environment," he said.

Speaking on RTÉ radio, he encouraged employers to get involved with the program by signing up to the trial.

"Nobody is going to impose the four-day week. Businesses are only going to elect to trial it if they believe that there is something in it for them. What they'll get from the pilot is access to training from businesses who have made this work for their companies, access to mentoring from international pioneers who have led the way in relation to it,” he said.

Listen to Kevin Callinan’s radio interview HERE. 

Get more information on the four-day week campaign HERE. 

Fórsa has backed calls for full compensation for homeowners affected by the mica homes scandal. The union formally backed the call for full redress for those affected at a meeting of its national executive in September.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan supported the call by Congress for 100% redress made in June this year. Kevin added: “Many of the people affected by the mica home scandal include Fórsa members and their families. More than 5,700 families are watching their homes disintegrate rapidly across a number of counties including Donegal, Mayo and Clare.

“Fórsa supports the call for the State to address the compliance failures that has led to the mica homes scandal, and to provide full redress to those families affected.

“These are families forced to continue paying mortgages on homes that have become worthless as a result of the erosion caused by mica. The housing minister’s commitment last week, that he won't delay introducing a significantly enhanced mica redress scheme, are welcome,” he said.

Kevin added: “Fórsa shares the minister’s view that the mica issue is an absolute tragedy, and the union welcomes the minister’s commitment that nothing is off the table as the Government considers appropriate options to compensate the thousands of families affected.”

As we begin to make travel plans again, worldwide annual multi-trip cover is available from €59 for Fórsa members. Cover includes:

• Emergency medical expenses up to €10,000,000
• Including 24/7 assistance
• Personal accident up to €30,000
• Cancellation up to €6,000
• Missed Departure up €6,000
• Cutting Short Your Trip up to €6,000
• Kids go free on family annual multi-trip policies
• All annual policies include worldwide cover
• Single trip cover options also available

Get a quote and purchase.

Winter travel

• Winter sports included in all annual policies and available on single trip policies.
• Winter sports equipment, hire of replacement ski equipment, ski pack,
• piste closure, travel delay due to avalanche.

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Covid cover

Travel insurance policies taken out on or after 1st September 2021 include medical and repatriation costs in the event you fall ill with Covid-19 whilst overseas, and cancellation if you test positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of the departure date of your trip.

This cover is valid provided the Department of Foreign Affairs has not issued advice to avoid non-essential travel or advised do not travel to your destination or any country/area you are travelling through prior to the commencement of your trip. There is no cover under any other section for claims relating to Covid-19.

Get a quote and purchase.

Travel insurance information,

The ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign will be hosting a webinar on the recently-published ‘Housing for All’ plan later this morning (Friday 15th October). You can register to attend the event, due to take place at 11.30am, here. 

The meetings will involve a detailed discussion of the new housing plan, with a critical analysis by an expert panel on whether or not it can solve the housing crisis.

The webinar will feature contributions from UCD assistant professor Orla Hegarty, architect Mel Reynolds and assistant professor of social policy at Maynooth university, Rory Hearne.

Raise the Roof is comprised of trade unions, housing and homeless agencies, women’s groups, political parties, representatives of older people, children’s advocacy groups, community organisations, student unions, Traveller groups, housing academics and experts.

A fifth of workers in Ireland now earn less than €12 an hour, according to a new report on low pay. ‘

Low pay republic’, compiled by SIPTU economist Michael Taft, argues that 370,000 people earning so little amounts to a “low-pay crisis” in Ireland, with women and young people disproportionately affected.

The report found that low pay here is significantly above the European average, with Ireland ranking eighth out of the 27 EU countries and second highest among its wealthier members.

“The economy suffers from loss of demand due to the reduced purchasing power of low-paid workers. This also results in lower business turnover and investment,” said Michael.

The worst affected sector is hotels and restaurants, where over half of all employees are low-paid. Other poorly-paid sectors include administrative services, retail, arts, entertainment, food production and personal services.

Nearly 23% of women, compared to 17% of men, and over 30% of young people under 30 years are affected by the low pay crisis.

“For workers, it undermines their living standards and life quality. And the economy suffers from loss of demand due to the reduced purchasing power of low-paid workers. This, in turn, results in lower business turnover and investment,” said the author.

The report has described low pay as being economically irrational, fiscally degrading and, socially obscene. “Low pay can be eliminated from the economy, but this requires a multi-faceted strategy including a radical extension of collective bargaining and a robust method governing minimum wage increases,” it says.

Even in in manufacturing and health, two sectors with conventionally higher than average wage levels, there are still nearly one-in-seven employees on low pay.

Both Fórsa and ICTU made submissions to a Government consultation on an EU draft directive on low pay and collective bargaining earlier this year. Since then, an Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report also found that increases in minimum pay don’t lead to higher labour costs.

The SIPTU report was published to mark ‘world day for decent work’ on 7th October, which is promoted by the International Trade Union Confederation. You can find the full report HERE. 

Public expenditure minister Michael McGrath has asked the Labour-Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) to explore the issue of recognition for workers who made exceptional efforts during the pandemic, including those who had high exposure to the Covid-19 virus.

Made up of senior representatives of Government, unions and employers, the LEEF is Ireland’s leading forum for social dialogue. Last year it reached agreement on income supports for workers and businesses hit by the pandemic, as well as a Covid-19 workplace safety framework.

The minister’s approach to the LEEF came on foot of a pre-Budget meeting with Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan and other ICTU leaders.

Fórsa has lamented the fact that senior Government representatives have made contradictory and confusing statements on the issue. The union says that this has unnecessarily raised expectations in various quarters.

Speaking at the conference of the defence forces’ association Pdforra last week, Kevin said: “The competing messages emerging from Government in recent weeks were not helpful, but I hope for an outcome that will bring lasting improvements for workers across the economy.

“The most effective recognition of the efforts of our health workers would be an unequivocal determination to create the universal health system promised by Sláintecare. But most people would agree that those who truly risked their lives to keep the rest of us safe should get some acknowledgement.”

Earlier this week, the Irish Times reported that its Ipsos MRBI poll found that 79% of people were in favour of “paying a pandemic bonus to public sector frontline workers,” with just 18% opposed.

Last month, the Labour Court ruled on a claim by health service unions for some form of recognition for the efforts and commitment of health staff during the pandemic. It said the HSE should continue to engage with the group of unions on the matter.

During the Labour Court hearing the HSE inaccurately represented the unions’ claim as a call for ten days’ additional leave. In fact, the union submission explicitly said this was not the case, and Fórsa has called on the Government to give the HSE scope to reach agreements that would benefit staff without significant cost.

The head of Fórsa’s Health and Welfare division, Éamonn Donnelly, has urged people to get the flu jab as we head into the winter. “A high uptake would not only offer greater immunisation in the community, but also reduce the strain on health services this winter,” he said.

And he warned against complacency, saying that health officials expected much higher incidence of flu this year. “We saw incredibly low levels last year, because Covid-19 measures like social distancing, mask wearing and travel restrictions were in place. As we begin to ease out of some of these restrictions, let’s remember that there will be lower levels of immunity against the flu among the population,” he said.

He added that the jab gives protection to your family and the community at large. “The flu can be passed on even before you realise the symptoms and this can be extremely damaging for patients with weakened immunity,” he said.

The distribution of flu vaccines got underway for people aged 80 and over on 4th October under the HSE’s flu vaccination campaign. Children's flu vaccine will be available from next week.

Several groups are eligible to get a free flu shot including over-65s, children aged 2-17, pregnant women and people with medical conditions which put them at increased risk from the complications of flu.

The inoculations reduce rates of a range of respiratory illnesses and levels of infection overall and help the health service to cope with the demands of other service requirements.

Official HSE advice stresses the importance of getting both the Covid-19 and flu vaccine, because vaccinating against one of these conditions does not protect against the other. Get a list of recommended vaccination groups HERE. 

Munster Technological University (MTU) has launched a period dignity project, which includes the provision of free sanitary products to students and staff. MTU’s ‘Code Red,’ launched earlier this week, also sets out to tackle period poverty and period taboo through online educational sessions and on campus events.

The university has funded the provision of free sanitary products at almost 60 locations across its campus.

It is estimated that Irish women spend an average of over €130 a year on period products, and half of young women have experienced issues around affording sanitary products. Code Red believes that no person who menstruates should miss educational activities, work or recreational activities due to a lack of access to appropriate products.

Fórsa activist and member of the MTU Code Red working group, Gina O’Brien, explained how the initiative was sparked by a similar trade union-run programme in the UK.

“I was approached by Dermot Barry, our Unite rep in MTU Cork and he told me about his plan to seek support for this initiative in the then CIT. He explained that Unite in the UK had run successful campaigns and he was hoping to do something similar. I thought it was a great idea and was joined on the committee by our Siptu, TUI, and students union representatives,” she said.

“When our finance department agreed to finance a pilot we put together a plan to roll it out this semester. Our new president, Maggie Smith, supported the initiative and our Tralee campus management is now coming on board,” she continued.

Gina said that feedback from staff and students has been very positive. “Demand for the products has meant that we have had to place an order for more products. Lidl have also been very supportive and have committed to provide free products,” she said.

Each Code Red bathroom dispenser is stocked with sustainable single-use sanitary pads and tampons. Gina stressed the importance of spreading the word about Code Red to students.

“If you meet a student who is in need of sanitary products please point them in the direction of a Code Red dispenser near you,” she said.

More information on the Code Red initiative can be found here. 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has said that this week’s Budget failed to recognise low-paid essential workers. Its general secretary, Patricia King, said €1.5 billion of tax cuts, mainly allocated to increasing the standard rate band, would do nothing for the low-paid.

“The Government needs to address the scourge of low pay. Its own tax strategy group estimates that 750,000 employees earned less than €400 per week in 2019. I acknowledge the 30 cent increase in the national minimum wage, but progress towards a living wage and concrete measures to promote collective bargaining are essential to tackle low pay,”she said.

Patricia also expressed concern that the Budget did not begin to provide the resources needed to improve public services and address the challenges like the ageing population, global heating or the digitisation of the workplace.

“Public spending per person in Ireland before the pandemic hit was 7.5% below the average in comparable high-income western European countries.

“ICTU acknowledges the measures to improve early years’ services and conditions for early years’ professionals, but we remain of the view that the most appropriate and efficient way to reform early years’ services is through public provision,” she said.

Fórsa is keen to ensure that we have up-to-date contact details for all our members. You can help us keep you informed by visiting the ‘Update My Details’ page and adding your personal email address (not a work address), home postal address, and mobile phone number.

To update your contact details, simply fill in this online form. 

And please share this with your colleagues. If we don’t have their contact details they won’t have received this message.

Please note, your home email address helps to ensure direct, safe and more effective communications with you than a workplace email address.

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