The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) wants to hear your views on the cost of childcare. And Congress is also asking workers aged under 35 to complete its short survey about housing.

Speaking about the launch of the surveys, ICTU president Patricia King called for people to share their experiences. “Too many workers are struggling to make ends meet at a time when the economy and labour market continue to improve. The rise in childcare and housing costs have been dramatic in recent years,” she said.

The surveys will be used to gather information on these two crucial issues and guide Congress policy and lobbying. The surveys will also help demonstrate the negative effects that excessive living costs are having on workers.

Congress also believes the surveys will highlight the rising cost of housing for young workers and childcare costs for working parents, which is not evenly spread across the country.

A recent ESRI report into childcare found that rising costs throughout Ireland could discourage people from continuing to work unless more affordable childcare could be made available.

Fórsa has also been campaigning on the housing crisis and rising rental costs through the homeless and housing coalition, which held a demonstration in Dublin in early April  The union continues to lobby Government on these issues.    

Fórsa’s Health and Welfare division executive meets today (Wednesday) to decide its next steps in a potential stand-off over the establishment of community healthcare organisations (CHOs).

The union had sought assurances on the roll-out of the programme from the HSE in advance of the meeting. But Fórsa head of health Éamonn Donnelly says the response was vague and fell short of what was required to ensure the timely development of local health services.

The executive will consider pulling the union out of discussions on the operation of CHOs – including interim reporting mechanisms – until it gets assurances that agreed structures will be implemented as quickly as possible. Fórsa is also demanding that new reporting structures should be applied equitably across all grades and professions.

Fórsa has accused the HSE of stalling on the establishment of CHOs pending the introduction of SláinteCare reforms. But the union has warned that SláinteCare reforms will be stymied unless the planned new structures are put in place quickly.

SláinteCare is a ten-year plan for the introduction of quality healthcare, free at the point of need, which has been backed by all the main political parties.

“Community services are the bedrock of these ambitious plans for fair, affordable, high-quality health services, and it’s perfectly possible to establish structures that can be smoothly adapted to SláinteCare if and when it’s implemented,” according to Éamonn.

“We can’t allow the HSE to stymie the development of better community health services today on the grounds that there’ll be another initiative along tomorrow,” he said.

Talks on staffing and structural issues related to the roll-out of the CHOs got underway in January, but Éamonn said momentum had been lost amid indications that the HSE was considering shelving the initiative until SláinteCare was in place.

Nine new ‘community healthcare organisations’ (CHOs) have been put in place to manage and deliver the provision of primary and community care services across the country. The negotiations between Fórsa and the HSE have focused on management and governance structures, qualifications and reporting relationships in the new bodies.

Interim reporting relationships in the CHOs currently govern local reports to the heads of four functions: mental health, primary care, social care, and health and wellbeing.

Fórsa officials will meet senior HSE human resource staff today (Wednesday) to discuss staff matters that may arise from the Scally review into Cervical Check. The meeting, which was organised by the HSE, came as Fórsa head of health Éamonn Donnolly advised staff not to attend meetings related to inquiries or investigations until national protocols for the process were agreed.

Last month the union gave its full support to plans for a full and thorough inquiry into the cervical cancer screening programme, but called on the Government to ensure that due process was followed when seeking accountability for errors in the service and communications with the women affected.

Éamonn said it was essential that the health service and its staff be held accountable for mistakes, and the consequences for women that followed. “The Government and its health authorities must find the quickest thorough and accurate means of uncovering exactly what went wrong and, more importantly, supporting the women affected.

“Health service workers have been toiling against a background of serious staff shortages and growing demand over the past few years, so it’s also important that due process is followed in the investigation and any disciplinary processes that may follow,” he said.

A meeting of Fórsa members working in Cervical Check in Limerick took place yesterday (Tuesday).

The cost of developing high-quality health services free at the point of need could be as high as €1.6 billion, according to a new report by the union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI). Although this would require significant extra taxation, much of the outlay for families would be offset by reductions in health insurance costs, it says.

The study, Equality in Irish healthcare: Time for a new deal, says it will be impossible to win public support for higher taxes without “a root and branch reform of the service.” But it warns against a “big bang” approach, saying that new innovations should be introduced incrementally.

“Rather than seek a big bang approach to reform, it would seem better to achieve progress in particular areas with new innovations and pilots building up to a critical mass effect, where people see the benefits of a unitary public health service that does not compromise patient safety and offers equal access to everyone on the basis of need and not ability to pay,” it says.

Earlier this year Fórsa head of health Éamonn Donnelly said people would accept the need to pay a little more tax in exchange for free, high quality health services.

The NERI report, authored by Paul Goldrick-Kelly and Tom Healy, points to a “systemic problem” of disparities in access to healthcare and the scope of provision based on wealth.

“Those at the bottom are more likely to be covered by a State-funded medical card with those at the upper end enjoying private medical insurance. A large group in the middle relies on limited entitlements to State care and out-of-pocket expenditure,” it says.

The report looks at the costs associated with SláinteCare, the ten-year plan for the introduction of quality healthcare free at the point of need, which has been backed by all the main political parties.

Read Equality in Irish healthcare: Time for a new deal.

Fórsa’s Health and Welfare executive committee will today (Wednesday) identify the ‘section 39’ organisations where it will ballot members for industrial action over pay restoration if a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) process, currently underway, doesn’t succeed.

A HSE audit of section 39 organisations has now been completed and submitted to the WRC for consideration. The review was established to assess pay restoration claims across the voluntary sector.

Under an agreement reached in February, management and unions are expected to return to the WRC soon to assess how the audit findings can be addressed and implemented.

Slow progress on pay restoration in section 39s had earlier prompted Fórsa to sanction ballots in agencies that were largely funded by the exchequer, and which were deemed capable of funding pay restoration.

The union lifted the immediate threat of industrial action after the Department of Health made a commitment that the HSE would bring forward a review of pay policy in section 39s. The review was an evidence-gathering exercise aimed at establishing which agencies cut pay during the crisis, and which have since begun to restore incomes.

The HSE review covers publicly-funded organisations with “sizable staffing.” It is also considering the financial implications of adjusting pay in each organisation, taking account of all sources of funding.

Government plans to increase the State pension age to 68 will place Ireland’s retirement age among the highest in the world, according to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

The pension age, which was raised from 65 to 66 in 2014, is set to increase to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028.

ICTU social policy officer Laura Bambrick criticised the plans as the Government launched a public consultation on State pension reform. “While increases in the pension age are taking place in many countries, Ireland is currently on course to have the highest pension age in the OECD,” she said.

ICTU has called on the Government to abandon the plan. Its general secretary Patricia King said the Government’s pension blueprint took no account of people “who cannot work between retirement and qualifying for the State pension.”

Unions also criticised Government plans to change the way pension entitlements are assessed, saying it meant a worker would need 40 years’ social insurance contributions to qualify for a full State pension.

“A 40-year target fails to take into account the impact of legacy issues still evident in the contribution records of workers nearing pension age,” said Bambrick.

Fórsa is working with other unions on a joint submission to the official consultation. Last month, the union’s national conference backed calls for mandatory employment-based pension provision for all workers not currently covered by occupational pension schemes.

A Government paper called A Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 envisages the introduction of auto-enrolment – or compulsory pension contributions for all – from 2020. But Fórsa has criticised opt-out rules contained in the paper.

The union’s national secretary Billy Hannigan said Ireland was one of only two OECD countries with no mandatory earnings-related pillar to complement the State pension. He said employers should contribute twice the amount asked of workers.

Counsellors and psychotherapists will be the next professions to come under the CORU statutory regulation regime after health minister Simon Harris designated them last month.

They join 14 other health and social care professions – including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and speech and language therapists – designated for statutory regulation under the 2005 Health and Social Care Professionals Act.

The Act requires all such professionals to register and meet explicit professional standards, including a requirement to undertake continuing professional development. The system allows for ‘fitness to practise’ cases to be brought against practitioners who fail to meet professional standards.

There are various sanctions available – including cancellation or suspension of registration – if a complaint of professional misconduct or poor professional performance is found to be justified.

Fórsa members in the professions can access free legal advice and representation from the union if they are subject to a fitness to practise procedure.

Statutory registration is generally supported by professionals as it establishes formal professional status and ensures greater protection for the public.

The creation of Fórsa provides an opportunity to build on the work undertaken by the former CPSU, IMPACT and PSEU in the area of equality.

The new union represents a diverse workforce across many sectors within the public service, the semi-state sector, and elsewhere. Over 75% of our members are women with a keen interest in issues like closing the gender pay gap and improving the provision of flexible and family-friendly employment policies.

Fórsa members are working hard on disability rights, where our branches assist members with disabilities to maximise employment opportunities. Many members are also employed to provide services to disabled clients.

Fórsa plays a significant role within ICTU, where our representatives contribute to the work of Congress on women’s rights, disability rights, race equality, and other areas. 

The union’s national executive will shortly establish the first Fórsa Equality and Diversity Committee, and staff are now working towards developing a comprehensive equality strategy with the new committee.

We are drawing on the previous work of the former unions to set out the Fórsa equality perspectives on a range of issues. Key to this approach will be involving activists at branch and executive level in this work. This can be done by establishing networks to draw on experience of working and campaigning on specific issues, and to develop new approaches to delivering on equality issues for members in the workplace.

Early priorities will include a policy, based on international best practice, aimed at closing the gender pay gap, measures to ensure that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is implemented correctly, sharing best practice on family-friendly employment policies, and the provision of regular advice on equality issues for branches and staff.

Fórsa expects all employers to adhere to employment equality legislation and we will continue to challenge them when they fall short. As an organisation we must also ensure that we apply the same legislation correctly, and that we continue promote equality for our staff and members within our own structures. Meeting this requirement will also form part of the new equality strategy.

The most effective way for a trade union to seek to progress equality of opportunity is to mainstream the issue, to make it central to everything we do including training, policies, procedures and collective agreements.

Whatever we do, we have to make sure that our actions are consistent with best practice and that we advance these crucial issues for the benefit of all our members.

Andy Pike is a Fórsa national secretary working in the civil service, who also holds joint responsibility for equality issues in the union.

A 12-strong team of eight cyclists and four volunteers wants Fórsa members and branches to get behind them as they compete in the Race Around Ireland cycling event in memory of crewman Ciarán Smith of Rescue 116.

Winchman Smith was one of four crew members who tragically died when coastguard helicopter Rescue 116 was lost off the west coast in March 2017.

The cycling team is raising money for LauraLynn children’s hospice, and is calling on Fórsa members and branches to donate to the cause in memory of Winchman Smith.

Ciarán Murphy, a Fórsa representative in CHC Helicopters and one of the riders preparing for the cycle, said Smith had previously cycled to raise money for the charity.

“The team is made up of family, friends and colleagues of Ciarán’s, and we hope to raise money for a charity close to his heart,” he said.

Fórsa has also committed to support the team’s efforts. The four late crew members of Rescue 116 were Fórsa members, as are some of the cyclists preparing to take part in the event.

The 10th Race Around Ireland starts on Sunday 26th August, and the non-stop cycling event covers some 2,200km.

Fórsa branches and members who want to support the team can make donations to the following account:

IBAN: IE96AIBK93103926343062
BIC: AIBKIE2D.

Fórsa’s national executive has adopted new data protection policies to ensure that the union is compliant with the EU Data Protection Directive (GDPR), which came into effect on 25th May.

GDPR will have a profound impact how on the union handles personal data in its head office, regional offices, and in the voluntary branch structure.

Head office is in the process of implementing a comprehensive data protection project, which will involve the appointment of a senior administrative officer as data protection officer later this month. Data protection champions are also being appointed, with at least one based in each full-time office location.

Over 20 staff members from all the union’s offices attended an initial training programme last month.

All Fórsa offices are being sent practical advice to ensure GDPR compliance. The union will also advise every branch in relation to the processing and storage of data, the handling of data access requests, and procedures for dealing with any breach of data protection.

All these matters are governed by the new GDPR legislation, which introduces hefty fines for failure to comply.

The union has invested in a management tool to log all GDPR issues, and is intent on building a comprehensive list of the measures we’re adopting so that we can demonstrate that we are making ourselves GDPR compliant.

It’s important that all sections of the union engage with the roll-out of these measures to ensure that we adopt a common and comprehensive GDPR plan across the organisation.

Fórsa member Cathriona McElhinney was the lucky winner of a two-night stay at the Delphi resort in Connemara, in a competition run by the union’s group discounts scheme.

The resort is located in the heart of the breathtaking Delphi valley, near Leenane. The 300-acre facility specialises in relaxation and outdoor adventure.

The Fórsa group scheme gives members the chance to receive discounts from hundreds of brands and retailers, including asos.com, Debenhams, Argos and the Abbey Theatre.

Discounts are available online and in-store in a wide range of categories, including travel, consumer tech, motoring, entertainment, eating out, fashion, health and grocery shopping.

The scheme has been negotiated by the union in conjunction with JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland.

To avail of the group discount scheme, simply register HERE.

Find out more about the Delphi resort HERE.

The Labour-Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), a trade union-employer-Government social dialogue forum established in 2016, is to be expanded to deal with four pressing issues: housing, pensions, childcare and employment rights. Separate parallel sessions on these issues are to commence shortly.

Fórsa deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan represents the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on the LEEF, which is the main forum for social dialogue in the post-partnership era.

Last month, Fórsa’s national conference passed a motion seeking an extension of the social dialogue process to encompass public policy issues that affect workers and business, but which cannot be resolved at workplace level.

Senior general secretary Shay Cody praised the LEEF, but said it must be developed to create a platform where issues that affect workers outside their immediate workplace can be discussed. “A place where we can engage with the whole of government – not just individual ministers or departments – on important topics that impact on livelihoods and living standards,” he said.

Employers’ body Ibec agrees on the need for a richer social dialogue, while the recent Gothenburg summit of EU leaders also highlighted the value of developing the process.

Fórsa has a brand new team of elected officers since last month’s inaugural national conference. At the end of May the union’s president, vice presidents and treasurer were appointed following ballots of branches. They will hold the positions for two years.

Ann McGee of the Sligo PSO branch was elected president, overcoming two other candidates, while Kevin O’Malley of the Kerry Health and Local Government branch was deemed treasurer.

Maura Cahalan of the Limerick Health and Welfare branch became the union’s new senior vice-president, while the remaining vice-president positions were filled by Eugene Gargan of the Communications Companies branch and Michael Smyth of the School Completion Programme branch.

Under Fórsa rules, the union’s five divisions must all be represented on the five-person officer group, with the Local Government division and Municipal Employees’ divisions counting as one constituency for this purpose. Other national executive members are elected by each of the divisions at their biennial delegate conferences.