Talks on the introduction of safety measures necessary to facilitate a partial reopening of primary sector special schools and special classes are continuing. The Government is seeking the partial reopening of these services from 21st January, but Fórsa and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) have not committed to a specific date at this point.

Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike said 25th January may prove to be a more realistic date. He said that any return to limited in-person services was contingent on further improvements and protections being agreed.

Fórsa attended a meeting with Government ministers and representatives of the education department and school management bodies yesterday (14th January). The INTO also attended.

What is now proposed is a limited, phased return to service provision, rather than the full resumption of services announced last week by the Government. It is now looking at a partial return to services at 50% capacity, in order to reduce the number of people on site.

It is also recognised that this may not be possible for all schools, as some may need more time to put arrangements in place.

Earlier this week, Fórsa’s Education Division Executive agreed a position paper, which set out the measures needed to make schools safe for students and staff. It said that the union would support resumption of schools services if these concerns were addressed.

Andy said talks were continuing, and that he would issue further advice to members by the middle of next week.

“The official position is that schools are safe places, even as we are at the peak of transmission of the virus. Whilst additional mitigation measures have been in place in schools since August, many staff do not have full confidence that schools are safe places to work and study.

“We have called on the Department of Education and individual schools to work with us to rebuild confidence and start the resumption of school-based SEN services as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.

The union has already secured agreement on overdue improvements in the arrangements for PPE for SNAs, and a commitment that the Deputy Chief Medical Officer will lead the public health effort and communicate directly with SEN staff.

Guidance on bus transport is also being reviewed and the education department has written to the Department of Health requesting that SEN staff be prioritised for the Covid vaccine. Schools will also now be required to check and update their risk assessments prior to any partial reopening.

“We still have further work to do to ensure that staff in the high risk category are not required to go back into the classroom. And, while the DES now acknowledges that childcare is a problem requiring resolution, we have not yet concluded discussions on that point. We are also seeking further information about enhanced testing,” said Andy.

The proposals for partial resumption of school-based services do not affect post-primary classes at this stage.

Paid-up Fórsa members working in the civil and public service, and in non-commercial State agencies, will receive details of the voting arrangements in a ballot for a proposed new public service agreement next week. The ballot will close on Thursday 11th February.

In a first for the union, the national ballot is being conducted entirely electronically because of ‘level five’ Covid restrictions on travel and assembly.

Eligible Fórsa members will receive an email next week, which will contain details of how to access the union’s electronic voting platform.

Each eligible member will receive a unique voter code, which will enable them to vote. This will ensure the security and integrity of the ballot as it means only eligible Fórsa members can vote in the secret ballot, and that they can only vote once.

The union is urging members who believe they’re eligible to vote, but haven’t received an email by Friday 22nd January, to update their contact details via the union’s website as soon as possible. This will trigger the despatch of an email with a unique voter code.

The union has also set up a ballot helpline, which can be used if problems persist.

Fórsa deputy general secretary Matt Staunton said it had been necessary for the union to quickly adopted electronic voting to allow the ballot to go ahead.

“This is a big change for members and for the organisation, which is making every effort to ensure that eligible members get their chance to vote. If you are reading this, and know of colleagues who don’t currently get the Fórsa ebulletin, please urge them to go the website and submit their contact details through the ‘update my details’ icon,” he said.

Last month, Fórsa’s elected National Executive overwhelmingly decided to recommend acceptance of the agreement.

Get details of the proposed agreement HERE. 

The new proposed new public service agreement, Building Momentum, includes a commitment to a review of the special needs assistants’ (SNA) contract. This would be the first opportunity to renegotiate the SNA contract for over 15 years.

The proposed deal requires the education department to consult with Fórsa about the possible updating of the SNA contract, including the appropriate use of the contracted 72 hours. These were introduced under the 2010 Croke Park agreement, when they replaced an earlier contractual liability to work twelve days during school holidays.

Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike, said SNA contract requires modernisation in several areas, including the obligation to be available for 72 hours for SEN-related duties.

“This is because the SNA role has changed since 2005, and continues to develop on foot of initiatives like the NCSE review of the SNA scheme, the roll-out of the schools inclusion model and the front-loading of SNA allocations,” he said.

Andy also said the pay measures set out in the deal would be of particular value to SNAs and other lower paid staff.

“The progressive nature of the increases is very relevant to SNAs as it means the percentage value of this is far higher than the headline figure. If accepted, SNAs would see total percentage increases of 6.4% at the 1st point of the scale, 5.3% on mid-point and 3.9% at the top of scale,” he said.

SNAs and other eligible Fórsa members will receive details of voting arrangements next week. Find out more HERE.

If accepted, the proposed new public service agreement, Building Momentum, would run from January 2021 to December 2022. It allows for two pay increases, each worth 1% of annual salary or €500 a year, whichever is the greater.

This means the deal is worth substantially more for lower paid workers in percentage terms.

A third increase, worth a further 1%, would be available for grade-based bargaining for all public service grades. This could either be used to deal with issues affecting particular grades, or it could be taken as a straight 1% pay award.

The package also retains existing protections against the privatisation and outsourcing of public services. And it preserves the €100 cap on CORU registration fees for health and social care professionals.

Building Momentum also requires the education department to consult with Fórsa about the possible updating of the SNA contract, including the appropriate use of the contracted 72 hours. This provides the first opportunity to renegotiate the SNA contract for over 15 years.

Haddington Road hours

If accepted, the deal would also address the additional hours introduced for many civil and public servants under the 2013 Haddington Road agreement – with the first reduction in working time kicking in next year.

This would be done through the establishment of an independent body by the end of March 2021. It would make recommendations to begin the process of returning to pre-Haddington Road hours in 2022, with €150 million set aside to commence implementation.

Then there’s provision for a successor agreement to engage on the roll-out of additional recommendations if necessary. You can read more on the Haddington Road hours HERE. 

Building Momentum also includes certain productivity measures, as is the case in all public service agreements. But union negotiators faced down attempts to introduce open competitions for all posts, a five-over-seven working week, and other unacceptable measures. Like previous deals, it also includes an ‘industrial peace’ clause.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who led the union negotiating team as chair of the ICTU Public Services Committee, said the outcome represented a positive short-term package, negotiated against a difficult background, to build on the momentum of recent pay restoration and public service flexibility and service quality.

“The proposals are substantially weighted towards lower-income civil and public servants, and they represent solid progress on the three priorities we outlined at the outset of the talks. These were a mechanism to address issues outstanding from the Haddington Road agreement, including additional working time, a separate mechanism to address sectoral issues, and a realistic and acceptable approach to pay.

“This isn’t everything we all wish for. But it includes important advances and vital protections that will not exist in the absence of an agreement, and is the best that could have been achieved at this time. If the deal is not ratified, we will have no public service agreement in place,” he said.

Fórsa is conducting an electronic ballot of eligible members. You can read about that HERE.

Get the full details HERE.

Read the full agreement 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. 

Many public service employers are flouting official Government restrictions on workplace attendance under level five of Covid restrictions, according to Fórsa, which this week said the national effort to bring the coronavirus under control could be undermined by widespread management failure to properly identify which workers need to attend their work premises to undertake essential functions.

The union said guidelines issued to education sector managers fall short of official Government advice to employers across the economy. As a result, there has been no significant reduction in the numbers of public service staff being instructed to travel to work since the country entered level five restrictions last month.

The official economy-wide Government advice at level five is that employees should work from home unless they perform “an essential health, social care or other essential service,” which “cannot be done from home.”

But the guidelines issued to public service employers by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), most recently on 23rd December, are substantially weaker. They say: “Home working will continue as and when deemed appropriate by the employer, having regard to the changes that may be required at each level.”

Fórsa spokesperson Bernard Harbor said far too many public servants were being required to travel to work to perform roles that can and should be done remotely at the height of the pandemic.

“The public health advice is clear: Staff should be working from home unless their attendance in the workplace is absolutely necessary to provide essential services. Yet there are many more public servants being ordered into the workplace now than last March, when infection rates were lower and the pressure on our health service was considerably less severe.

“The letter and tone of the HR advice to public service managers is at odds with official restrictions deemed necessary to bring the virus under control. This is contributing to a form of macho-management, which fails to put public safety first by properly distinguishing between those who need to be in the workplace right now and those who don’t.

“Fórsa is speaking out because we believe staff and service-users are being unnecessarily exposed to potentially virus-spreading interactions in workplaces and on public transport, and that this will likely impede the national effort to contain the virus,” he said.

Mr Harbor applauded the contribution of hundreds of thousands of workers, across the private, public and voluntary sectors, who continue to be needed in workplaces to perform essential tasks that can’t be done remotely. But he said they were being put at higher risk by the failure to restrict unnecessary workplace attendance.

Civil and public servants whose working time was increased under the 2013 Haddington Road agreement (HRA) will see a reduction in their hours next year if the proposed new public service agreement is accepted in ballots of union members.

If accepted, the proposed deal won’t fully resolve the longstanding injustice of the so-called ‘Haddington Road hours’ immediately. But it’s the first public service deal to address the injustice since it was introduced. That’s a major and hard-fought breakthrough.

The proposed agreement would deliver three things that appeared unachievable even a short time ago.

First, the logjam has been broken after seven years of intransigence, during which politicians and public service management simply refused to countenance any movement at all. Now we’ll be voting on proposals that say – in black and white – that this and other Haddington Road issues are “outstanding matters to be resolved.”

Second, the proposed deal outlines a process that, beginning in March, can resolve the issue. It also sets aside €150 million to commence the implementation of the recommendations of an independent body to be set up to address the issues behind the injustice.

Thirdly, the proposal is clear that work will continue beyond the two-year term of Building Momentum if necessary. The allocation of €150 million isn’t the end of the matter, and any remaining recommendations will be addressed by the parties.

The 2013 Haddington Road deal put those working 35 hours a week or less up to 37 hours, and those on working more than 35 hours up to 39 hours.

Some members have expressed disappointment that the proposed new agreement doesn’t immediately restore all the lost time. The reason for this is that the additional HRA hours applied to a large number of grades, including nurses and clinicians.

And, during the negotiation, unions correctly took the view that any successful solution required a united approach which had to apply to all the groups who’d lost out.

The reality was that – whatever the union position – no Government would be able to reduce the availability of crucial health workers at this time, when over 7,000 health and care staff are currently missing in action due to Covid-related absences.

Yet Fórsa forced the management side off an opening position that would have seen a commission report on the issue at the end of 2022, with zero implementation during the lifetime of this proposed deal.

Instead, we’ve achieved a position where the commission will report this year, and funded implementation of its recommendations will start in 2022. This means working time will improve next year if the deal is ratified.

And the remaining recommendations will be considered in the context of next year’s (2022) Budget announcement, which will likely take place after negotiations on the next public service agreement have concluded. So the scene is set for further progress.

Fórsa entered the negotiations on Building Momentum saying that the union simply wouldn’t do a deal that didn’t meaningfully address the HRA hours. And the union stuck to its guns throughout the talks.

We were strengthened by the formation of Fórsa in 2018. This gave a strong voice to clerical, administrative and executive grades across health, local councils, education, State agencies and the civil service.

When the union said there’d be no deal without action on the hours, the other side also knew there’d be no deal without Fórsa.

The creation of Fórsa, and the union’ stance, has delivered significant movement now, and the promise that the hours can be sorted in the not-too-distant future.

Fórsa members working in the public sector will vote to decide whether their union backs acceptance or rejection of the proposed new agreement, Building Momentum. Ahead of the ballot of members, Fórsa has appealed to members to ensure their contact details are up-to-date to guarantee their voice is heard.

The union is asking members to visit the ‘Update My Details’ page and provide a personal email address (not a work address), home postal address, and mobile phone number.

Fórsa wants to ensure your voice is heard and to make sure your vote in the upcoming ballot is counted it’s vital that your union can make contact with you.

Fórsa is seeking personal (rather than work) details because this reduces the chance of union communications being blocked or lost in  employer’s systems. This information will be held in strict compliance with the union’s data protection policy, and used only for communications on union matters like the forthcoming ballot.

Fórsa member Donna Mooney, of the Revenue Officers branch, features in the union’s video message.  “Fórsa wants to ensure your voice is heard, and to make sure your vote in the upcoming ballot is counted, so it’s vital that your union can make contact with you,” she says.

Members are also encouraged to share this message and video with colleagues who may not receive the Fórsa news bulletin.

To update your details quickly and easily visit the ‘update my details’ page on the Fórsa website and complete the online form. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Your full name on our membership database must match the name on your pay-advice email or payslip.)

See also:
•    Fórsa recommends acceptance of proposed public service agreement
•    Building Momentum: A New Public Sector Agreement FAQs
•    Public service unions and employers agree proposals for a two-year agreement

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. 

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.

Fórsa has this morning (15th January) given an initial welcome to headline measures set out in the Government’s Remote Working Strategy, published today, which would make remote work “the norm” for 20% of public servants. But the union also called for engagement on the detailed roll-out of the proposals.

The Government strategy includes pledges to establish a legal right to request remote working, introduce a legally admissible code of practice on the right to disconnect, and a review of the treatment of remote working for tax purposes.

It also says the Government will invest in remote work hubs and explore the acceleration of the National Broadband Plan.

Fórsa’s Head of Communications Bernard Harbor said the strategy, Making Remote Work, appeared to address a number of issues highlighted by the union in its submission to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

“We look forward to studying the report and its recommendations in detail. But, on the face of it, the headline proposals are welcome.

“Fórsa very much welcomes the pledge to establish legal rights to disconnect and to request remote working, which would bring Ireland closer to European best practice. But there needs to be engagement with trade unions and other stakeholders on the detail of these, and other proposals, to ensure fair access to remote working and proper protections for all staff regardless of where they work,” he said.

A Fórsa survey conducted last summer showed a strong appetite for a hybrid model, which blends time worked remotely and in the workplace.

The survey of Fórsa members, published last August, found that 86% of respondents were interested in working remotely. Over 80% of those who favour home working expressed a preference for a hybrid arrangement.

But it also uncovered concerns about home working related to four broad areas: Disconnection from the workplace, work encroachment on home life, costs and the appropriateness of home work space, and health and safety issues.

Bernard said the experience of remote working during the Covid-19 emergency had demonstrated that many roles can be carried out remotely in ways that are productive, cost-effective and attractive to employers and their staff.

“Workers value the flexibility that remote working can bring, while managers cite access to talent, improved productivity and cost savings as benefits. Enhanced remote working also has huge potential to boost climate action and regional development,” he said.

Read the Government’s remote working strategy HERE.

Read Fórsa’s submission 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. 

The HSE has been urged to immediately start recruiting temporary administrative staff to support the mass roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations from the end of this month. Fórsa said it would be willing to temporarily set aside normal recruitment practices to ensure that health professionals had the back-up they need to administer vaccines at the fastest possible rate.

At a meeting with HSE management yesterday (14th January), Fórsa’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, said it would be a travesty if progress was slowed because health professionals had to perform administrative tasks associated with the vaccine roll-out.

It said a mix of experienced clerical and admin staff from within the HSE and from outside agencies should be mobilised now to ensure that vaccinators had the support they need as soon as the mass vaccination programme is ready to roll.

The union made its move on foot of reports of teething problems with the IT system in place to support the vaccination programme. Mr Donnelly said he believed the public service-wide approach to cross-sectoral redeployments – which was put in place at the outset of the pandemic last year – might be too slow to meet the task in the most effective way.

Donnelly said Fórsa had asked to see the HSE’s workforce plan for the initial and wider roll-out of the vaccine, which is expected to accelerate in the coming weeks.

“IT problems mean the HSE is currently depending on manual admin systems. But, in any case, the roll-out of vaccines on the scale envisaged will require substantial admin support to avoid vaccinators having to do paperwork.

“There is limited in-house availability because of the number of Covid cases in our hospitals, and the fact that many more standard health services are being delivered than was the case in the early part of the Covid emergency.

“We have an agreed redeployment policy in place, and this allows for normal recruitment procedures to be temporarily set aside in a ‘break glass’ situation. I believe we’re in that situation now,” he said.

The union spoke out after health minister Stephen Donnelly told TDs that up to four million people could be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September. He outlined plans to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March, and said Ireland expected to receive 3.7 million doses between April and July, and a further 3.8 million between July and the end of September.

This would allow up to four million people get the two-dose vaccine by the end of September.

The HSE said yesterday that over 77,300 Covid vaccines have so far been administered. Almost 69,500 have gone to healthcare workers and almost 8,000 were received by people in long-term care facilities.

Ireland has so far received over 152,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 3,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

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 trade union yesterday (Thursday) repeated its solidarity and support for mother-and-baby home survivors, and said a way must be found to give them prompt and full access to their personal records following this week’s publication of the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

Fórsa official Shane Lambert pledged the union’s support for all those, including some Fórsa members and their families, who have been affected by the tragic events detailed in the report.

"This is a moment for all of us to reflect on the past, but also on the open and inclusive future we want to create for everyone in Ireland."

“This is not an historical issue, and the hurt and anguish remains real. This week has been difficult and painful for the people concerned. It’s also a moment for all of us to reflect on the past, but also on the open and inclusive future we want to create for everyone in Ireland.

Fórsa adds its voice to those calling for prompt and sensitive action on the report’s recommendations.

“2021 must herald a new start for the survivors, who should be granted a long-overdue right to access their own data and testimonies. This would help them find peace of mind, and it would help our country to meet its responsibilities and move on from this dark chapter,” he said.