Fórsa members employed at the state’s Child and Family agency, Tusla, are to suspend current industrial action in the dispute over Tusla’s withdrawal of staff access to an agreed job evaluation scheme.

The issue was subject to a hearing at the Labour Court last week, on Monday 29th April 2024. The decision of the Labour Court will issue to the union within the next few weeks. 

Following the hearing the employer issued a request to suspend the industrial action given that the Labour Court hearing has concluded. Fórsa’s Disputes Committee met this week and decided to suspend the current industrial action. A letter to members notifying them of this suspension will be issued this morning Friday10th May.

The industrial action has taken the form of a work-to-rule and a series of non-cooperation actions and has involved Tusla’s clerical and administrative staff employed in grades three to six. 
Fórsa members balloted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in September 2023, and the industrial action commenced last October.

When Tusla was formed in 2013, HSE staff were transferred into the newly-formed agency, with terms and conditions from their HSE employment protected by the terms of a framework agreement, including access to a job evaluation scheme, a process for measuring the relative worth of posts in an organisation based on the work a post-holder is doing or is expected to do.

The dispute arose because Tusla had failed to honour the 2013 framework agreement specifically in relation to access to the job evaluation scheme.

Fórsa official Chris Cully said: “The suspension of this work to rule industrial action must not be taken as a white flag for managers to load members with additional work above and beyond a person’s existing job.”

Chris continued: “ I want to thank all members who engaged in this industrial action and those who supported their colleagues. Thanks to your efforts we have kept the pressure up, which has allowed us to get the case back before the Labour Court.”

Members will be notified when the outcome is known. 

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