Fórsa is hosting a seminar on climate change, and the impact that the move to a low carbon economy will have on workers in Ireland. The event, ‘A Green New Deal for Workers,’ takes place on Thursday 4th April in Fórsa’s Nerney’s Court office, from 2pm to 5pm.

The event will address what a ‘green new deal’ could mean, and will explore a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon Ireland. Professor John Barry of Queens University, Belfast is the keynote speaker.

The event will also feature interactive workshops around the development of a climate information campaign for Fórsa members, the creation of a sustainability strategy for the union, and establishing a just transition committee within Fórsa.

The union will also host a screening of the film Silent Transformation at 6pm* on the same evening, as part of the Fórsa Insights series. The documentary is about the transformative power of co-ops, and the impact they have had in communities across Ontario.

The screening will also be followed by a panel discussion on the role co-ops can play in finding a solution to the housing crisis in Ireland.

Fórsa Insights is a series of talks and cultural events open to Fórsa members, ICTU affiliates and NGOs. The aim is to explore a range of issues including human rights, climate change, migration, homelessness and the experience of campaigning for workers rights across the globe.

Please RSVP to Joe O’Connor for either or both events. For capacity reasons, places are limited to two spaces per branch.

*Please note the corrected time for the Fórsa Insights event.

The underlying assumptions of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) need to be reviewed to take account of lost spending power, recent and projected growth rates, and pay movements in the wider economy, according to Fórsa.

Speaking at the annual Industrial Relations News (IRN) conference in Dublin this month, the union’s senior general secretary designate, Kevin Callinan, said public service agreements should also allow for individual grade claims to respond to enhanced responsibilities, higher qualification requirements, additional skills, and increased productivity.

“The credibility of the current agreement [the PSSA] is being stretched by two important factors, which have took root over the past decade and which now need to be addressed. One is the spending power of incomes after living costs are factored in. The other is the scope for the agreement to respond to profession-specific and grade-specific issues and ambitions,” he said.

Kevin also said additional working time, introduced in 2013 as part of the Haddington Road agreement, “still rankled” and needed to be addressed. He was speaking a week after Fórsa’s elected National Executive Committee considered the position of the PSSA in the wake of a Labour Court recommendation on the nurses’ dispute.

He said public service incomes had fallen or remained static between 2008 and 2018, a period when cumulative inflation was just over 6%. The result was a significant reduction in the value of wages. “It will simply not be credible to seek to continue on the current course without a correction to this,” he said.

Kevin said the Government and Labour Court had both recognised, in the nurses’ case, that the PSSA is capable of dealing with grade claims. The Labour Court linked this to a wider public service review previously recommended by the Public Service Pay Commission.

“This could herald a positive change in direction. Other grades and professions who aspire to participate in such an exercise will expect similar treatment in the same timeframe,” said Callinan.

He added that a facility to deal with grade claims would help restore confidence in the PSSA. “Such an approach could frame the negotiations on a successor to the current agreement, which will have to be sufficiently flexible to pair general increases, designed to protect living standards, with progress on specific grade or profession reviews,” he said.

Fórsa has been assured that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) will continue to engage with the union of PSSA matters, including the broader implications of the nurses’ Labour Court recommendation.

“Fórsa expects these engagements to continue to take place over the coming weeks with the objective of ensuring the continued effectiveness and stability of the public service agreement, and to ensure that it remains fit for purpose,” according to Kevin.

Read the full speech HERE.

Fórsa has welcomed aspects of the 2019 annual Sláintecare action plan, while saying the health department is moving too slowly on important aspects of the initiative. Sláintecare is an ambitious ten-year plan to achieve high-quality healthcare, free at the point of delivery. It won cross-party support in 2017.

Speaking after the publication of the Sláintecare action plan 2019, Fórsa’s head of health Éamonn Donnelly backed the objective of agreeing a new organisational structure this year for reconfigured health and social care services, which would clarify the roles of the HSE, health department and regional and community organisations.

But he said limited plans to develop “policy proposals for how to provide universal services at no or low cost” to patients and service-users lacked the necessary ambition. And he claimed plans to “review” existing recommendations for removing private practice from public acute hospitals fell far short of what’s needed.

“Fórsa totally supports the vision of a fair, high-quality health service free at the point of delivery, and we understand that making this a reality will take time and effort. We are actively involved in work on the reconfiguration of services, particularly in the community and primary care sector.

“But I am disappointed that the Government is not moving faster and with more ambition to get the foundations of a decent health service in place. ‘Reviews’ and ‘roadmaps’ are insufficient in fundamental areas like funding services and getting private medicine out of public health service facilities,” he said.

Fórsa has previously outlined a range of steps necessary to put Sláintecare in place. The union says there needs to be synergy between GP and state healthcare services, along with a shift away from the insurance-based funding model and towards public funding. The union also says there is an urgent need for better alignment of hospital and community-provided services, and that private practice in public hospitals should be phased out as quickly as possible.

Sláintecare requires a massive development of community services as it aims to shift the majority of care from the acute to the community setting.

“Fórsa has been leading the charge on this because we recognise and champion the principle of multi-disciplinary primary care delivered, as far as possible, in our communities rather than in hospitals. But there is a real concern among health professionals and staff that their experience and contribution will be sidelined, to the detriment of patients and clients, in yet another structure that puts all its focus on doctors – be they GPs or consultants – as the managers and epicentre of service delivery,” said Éamonn.

The 2017 Sláintecare report envisages a substantial increase in the number of people working in, and supporting, the health and social care professions.

The child and family agency Tusla has launched a new website to help young people avail of its services. The site – changingfutures.ie – was developed by a research group made up of young people who have experience of Tusla and the care system.

The group worked on the site’s development over three years and designed each detail so that it explains services in an easily accessible way.

Mark Gray from Dun Laoghaire, who was a member of the research group, was just six when he was placed in a residential home. He believes the involvement of young people with experience of Tusla was crucial to the success of the project.

“We have a residential care worker who explains her job and does a run-through of the residential home. We have an after-care worker explaining her role. We have foster carers explaining their roles,” he said.

Lauren Ellen Dunne also helped to develop the website. “When people go on to the website that we have taken three years to make and they realise that a group of young people came together and made it, they will see us in a new light too. Children are going to get some good publicity for a change,” she said.

Fórsa assistant general secretary Chris Cully praised the website. “Good on those young people for coming up with this concept. I think it’s great, especially as it was developed by the young people who have been supported by Tusla.

“The site helps show people the real picture of Tusla, and introduce some of its dedicated and caring staff and the great work they do. That’s the Tusla I know and see in action every day when dealing with the 4,000 staff who Fórsa represents.”

Fórsa’s dispute over Tusla’s attempt to outsource services at the Rathmines women’s refuge has been referred to the Labour Court. This follows the union’s earlier success in removing the threat of outsourcing when the parties met at a conciliation conference at the end of January.

The parties met again at the end of February. But Fórsa official Tony Martin said the child and family agency had shown no sign of wanting to make progress on the issue.

“At both conciliation conferences it was patently clear that Tusla were not there to do business. Discussions broke down at the last conciliation conference and Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) reconciliation officer Damian Cannon referred it to the Labour Court,” he said.

Fórsa originally sought the assistance of the WRC because Tusla had breached the current public service agreement by failing to consult staff on its decision to outsource the management of the refuge to a separate agency.

The refuge closed in September 2017 for renovations and its 15 staff members were temporarily redeployed to other employments. But when the work was completed last September, Tusla failed to inform the staff of its plans to re-open the refuge.

Tony said the union aimed to get the 15 staff back into their posts at the refuge as soon as possible. “These are highly experienced staff who deliver a vital and very sensitive service.  usla has offered no explanation as to why it has looked to a separate agency to run the refuge,” he said.

Tony added that Women’s Aid has described the absence of the refuge since September 2017 as a “key gap” in service provision for women experiencing domestic violence.

It was reported last week that Ireland has less than a third of the required refuge spaces. A 2017 report states Ireland had 21 women’s shelters, with 141 beds, but needed 472 under European guidelines, which suggests a shortfall of 331 beds.

The union is awaiting a hearing date from the Labour Court.

Poverty among working lone parents has more than doubled in five years, according to a new study by the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP). The report, Working, Parenting and Struggling, found one in 11 working lone parents were living below the poverty line in 2012. But that figure jumped to one in five by 2017.

The report also shows that the living standards of lone parents in Ireland are among the worst in Europe, with the second highest rates of income poverty, persistent poverty and severe deprivation among EU-15 countries.

SVP social policy development officer Tricia Keilthy, who wrote the report, said many families are struggling to make ends meet due to high housing and childcare costs combined with low incomes. “These factors significantly reduce the standard of living of working lone parents, who face additional challenges as both the primary earner and primary care-giver for their families,” she said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar disputed the report, saying that figures from the Central Statistics Office show consistent poverty and deprivation among lone parents had reduced in the last four years.

SVP National President Kieran Stafford noted a number of welcome improvements in Budget 2019, including income supports for lone parents and the introduction of the affordable childcare scheme.

However, he added “this report shows Ireland has a long way to go in creating pathways to sustainable, decent and family friendly employment which will address the growing issue of in-work poverty among lone parents.”

For more information, click HERE.

Disability rights minister Finian McGrath will help launch Fórsa’s new Disability Rights Network in the union’s office at Nerney’s Court, Dublin on Saturday 6th April. The network will provide an opportunity for members interested in disability issues to meet and discuss how the union can work to improve facilities, services and conditions for people with disabilities.

The launch, which starts at 11am, will be of interest to Fórsa members with a disability, members working in disability services, and others. Places are limited, so you should book a place, which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Keep an eye on our website for full details of the programme, which will be issued in the coming weeks.

Further ‘Raise the Roof’ rallies were held in Dublin and Cork earlier this month after the initial event last October saw thousands gather outside Leinster House in protest of the housing and homelessness crisis.

The movement, supported by the National Homeless and Housing Coalition and its affiliates – including Fórsa – is calling for a large-scale affordable public house-building programme, legislation to end ‘evictions to nowhere,’ and measures to achieve rent certainty.

These demands are in line with the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s (ICTU) Charter for Housing Rights.

The Dublin rally took place on Saturday 9th March, where thousands showed up and brought traffic to a standstill on O’Connell Bridge.

Two days later a rally in Cork coincided with a motion being initiated at Cork City Council by Lord Mayor Cllr Mick Finn. It demanded urgent action to address housing problems nationally and locally.

Despite the weather, Fórsa’s contingent was strong in Cork with activists and staff out in full support.

The HSE has launched a new tobacco free initiative in community centres in the Fingal county council area. It’s aimed at implementing a tobacco-free facility policy.

The toolkit initiative was developed by a local development company, along with the HSE’s Health Promotion and Improvement Unit and the Irish Cancer Society.

The toolkit is intended to follow on from the Irish Cancer Society’s ‘We Can Quit’ programme, which promotes the development of tobacco-free spaces in community centres.

The project is being rolled out in Balbriggan, Blakestown, Corduff, Donabate and Portrane, and Swords. All of these areas were involved in the development of the initiative.

The campaign was launched by health promotion minister Catherine Byrne on National No Smoking Day (March 6th). She said the roll out of the initiative in Fingal would contribute to denormalising smoking in the community, and was an important step towards the greater goal of a tobacco free Ireland by 2025.

Fórsa has welcomed legislation banning zero hour contracts, which came into force earlier this month. The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, requires employers to give their staff details of their core terms of employment within five days of starting work.

It also includes provisions on “banded” hours, requiring the employer to place those whose contracts don’t reflect their working hours in a band that reflects the hours they actually worked over the previous 12-month period.

The only exceptions are work carried out in “emergency circumstances” or short-term relief work to cover routine absences. The legislation also includes provisions to protect workers who are called in, then sent home without getting any work. A minimum payment must now be granted to them.

Fórsa’s head of communications Bernard Harbor welcomed the act as a step forward for the protection of workers’ rights.

“Unions campaigned hard for these reforms, which will ensure that worker’s hours are more predictable and secure. However, there is an urgent need for greater protection for workers in so-called gig ‘economy’ platforms which still has to be addressed,” he said.

You can find the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 HERE and information on rights in relation to zero hour contracts HERE.

80% of women believe a glass ceiling on promotions still exists in the workplace, according to a survey by the business group Network Ireland. The survey on career progression, found that over a third of respondents believe being female has impacted negatively on their career progression.

The survey said over a third of women professionals have never asked for a pay increase, while a further one in three women said they would ask for a pay rise if they felt they deserve one. 25% of respondents also said they did not go for a promotion due to family commitments.

Although over 50% of respondents said being female has made no difference to their career progression, Fórsa’s equality officer Andy Pike said the number of women who do feel it has had an impact on their career progression is extremely worrying.

“This new survey builds on established research findings showing that women at work are less likely to be promoted and more likely to occupy lower paid jobs.

“Fórsa believes that employers need to do much more to encourage and facilitate career progression for the women they employ. Proactive measures could be taken such as increasing the availability of family friendly or flexible working patterns, something highlighted by the ERSI as playing a significant role in preventing women from applying for promotion.

“Employers need to get ready for mandatory gender pay gap reporting and prepare to implement policies which would contribute to breaking the glass ceiling and closing the gender pay gap,” he said.

Among the surveys other findings were that just 5% of respondents have applied to join a board, while 25% also said they would like to join a board, but did not know where to start.

The survey also found that female business owners cited ‘family commitments’ as the second highest reason for not expanding their businesses, only behind costs.

See related HERE.

Developments in Westminster and Brussels this week deepened uncertainty over the direction of Brexit, with three options – no deal, a version of Teresa May’s deal, and no Brexit – all still on the table. There were also mixed views on whether, and for how long, the EU might agree to an extension of the process, with protaganists and commentators unsure of how to call the situation.

The Irish Government’s preparations for a disruptive ‘no deal’ Brexit continued as, last week, the Irish-international Freight Association warned that as many as 3,000 extra customs agents would be needed in the event of a UK crash-out.

It predicted a ten-fold increase – from five to 50 million a year – in the number of customs, safety, and transit declarations needed in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

Last month finance minister Paschal Donohoe said 400 extra customs staff will be recruited before the end of the March, with another 200 to come on stream soon after that. He said he would also provide extra resources to Revenue if they were needed.

Earlier this week, Fórsa official Derek Mullen told the union’s Consultative Council, which brings together representatives from all branches, that staffing discussions were also underway in agriculture, revenue, and other relevant departments.

Meanwhile, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called on the Government to abandon plans for tax cuts, and instead earmark €500 million to deal with the possible fallout of a hard Brexit. In a briefing document published in February, ICTU says a British crash-out from the EU later this month would bring substantial job losses, food price hikes, and a dent in public finances.

The implications of a no-deal Brexit, ICTU’s fourth Brexit briefing, says fears of a hard Brexit have increased, but argues for the softest possible settlement between the UK and the EU.

“The best way to achieve this is to agree the closest possible relationship between the UK and the EU, ideally with the entire UK staying in the single market and the customs union. Only by achieving this can we ensure that jobs and citizens’ and workers’ rights are not negatively affected,” it says.

Fórsa president Ann McGee spoke about the challenges and opportunities faced by women trade unionists in leadership positions during a panel discussion organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Union's (ICTU) Women’s Committee on International Women’s Day. The event, which brought 150 delegates to Newcastle, Co Down, backed plans for a new leadership and mentoring programme for women in trade unions.

Along with other senior female union leaders from Ireland and the UK, Ann noted the challenges she and many other women face. Describing her average week, she told the seminar that she could pack her car on a Monday morning and not return home until the following Friday evening.

"I feel the union world forgets you have a life – family, friends and a job – outside the movement," she said.

However, she also emphasised the vital position female engagement plays in our communities. She said women's full participation is essential for their own empowerment, and to advance society as a whole.

ICTU general secretary Patricia King announced the federations intention to launch a leadership and mentoring programme. After a lively debate delegates informally voted in favour of making it exclusive to women.

Commenting on the result Margaret Coughlan, a leading Fórsa activist who chairs the ICTU Women’s Committee said, “Women aren’t naturally drawn to putting ourselves forward for leadership positions and so this programme will offer encouragement and support to those who need it most. It’s important that women are supported in their endeavours to further their careers in the workplace and the union movement.”