The Department of Education has launched the first ever national Special Needs Assistant survey. The survey form can be accessed on the Department’s SNA Information Hub, you can access it here .

The survey is an important component of the development of the National SNA Workforce Development Plan and seeks to gather information on a range of issues including the current qualifications held by SNAs, access to training and development opportunities and other related matters. Fórsa was consulted on the questions asked.

The resulting data will be an important factor in developing the Workforce Plan which will cover issues such as the misuse of the 72 hours and June working, the rollout of a new minimum qualification and the negotiation of the new SNA contract.

We encourage all SNA members to take the time to complete the survey, your survey return will be anonymous and confidential.

The first meeting of the National Working Group on developing the role of the SNA is due to take place next Monday the 12th February. This will be the first formal face to face engagement on the Workforce Development Plan between Fórsa, the NCSE and Management Bodies on the development of proposals.

It follows the #RespectForSNAs campaign which successfully highlighted the need for fundamental changes to be made to the way our SNAs are seen, treated and respected in our schools.

Further updates will issue as the talks progress.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

Fórsa have secured further precedent for SNAs with a win for an SNA member who had been disciplined for refusing to complete work that was not appropriate for the 72 hours. The sanction was withdrawn by school management thanks to Fórsa’s intervention and the solidarity of members. 

The SNA had informed school management that the work, to be carried out during a parent teacher meeting, was not appropriate to an SNA’s duties. Although the SNA was willing to attend for the parent teacher meeting, she was clear that only work appropriate to the SNA grade should be carried out as part of the 72 hours during this time.

As the SNA did not complete the work as instructed, the school principal began disciplinary procedures. In line with the guidelines contained in the SNA Grievance and Disciplinary Circular she was given a sanction of “work to be monitored for 3 months.”

Fórsa IRO Dave Sexton took on the case. He said: “The problem here is that the principal was disciplining an SNA for wanting to work her nationally agreed terms and conditions of employment, which is wrong in every sense.”

He continued “If the principal was able to treat a member in this fashion it would set a bad precedent for all other SNAs in the school and give a signal to other principals that this kind of behaviour is acceptable.

“From the outset, we were clear in our message to the school management: this union will not tolerate where employers discipline our members for wanting to work to the provisions contained in nationally agreed contracts and circulars.”

In a meeting with the union members signalled their willingness to support a ballot for industrial action should the matter not be resolved locally. 

The school management entered into local engagement, where it was made clear the sanction needed to be withdrawn as a matter of urgency, and if it was not withdrawn the union would be escalating the matter further. 

Further local engagement resulted in the union achieving the withdrawal of the sanction against our SNA member, setting a strong precedent for similar cases.

Reflecting on the win, Dave Sexton said “It is highly unlikely the sanction would have been withdrawn had the SNA and their colleagues not been members of the union. It is so important that members are aware that Fórsa is here to support them where similar issues arise in the workplace, and wins are achievable for members.”

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

The union had a recent win for a school secretary when an issue arose over the point at which she was placed when moving to the new school secretaries’ proposals and associated salary scale. 

The member was initially hired under the premise of a 44-week salary arrangement, however, in a common practice observed among school secretaries and with the agreement of school management, this salary was averaged out and paid over 52 weeks.

The issue arose when the initial offer placed the school secretary at point 10 on the pay scale, despite the union’s calculations contending that the correct placement being at point 15. Despite several appeals made by both the school secretary and school management to rectify the discrepancy, the Department upheld their decision and insisted that the secretary was correctly placed on point 10 the pay scale, in their view.

The school secretary turned to Fórsa for support, where Industrial Relations Officer Dave Sexton stepped in to support them and offer assistance. 

“On consulting with the school secretary, I was able to determine that they were indeed on the incorrect point on the scale.  I was able to clarify this by requesting payslips and school documentation that clearly showed that the 44 weeks of pay had been spread out over 52 weeks.  Which meant that when the correct hourly rate was calculated it should have done on the value of 44 weeks rather than 52 weeks which would give a higher rate of pay per hour,” Dave said.

After the union’s intervention the Department moved the school secretary to point 15 on the pay scale and agreed that any underpayments made during their time on point 10 of the pay scale would be backdated and paid retrospectively.

“Situations like this demonstrate the real value of being a union member, where members in the first instance try to resolve matters themselves and have no resolution, members can turn to us and we will intervene on their behalf and progress matters to favourable outcomes for them,” added Sexton.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

Fórsa has secured additional improvements in leave entitlements for SNAs, further bridging the disparity in leave for special needs assistants (SNAs).

Following representations by Fórsa, the union has received confirmation that sanction has been approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for special leave with pay to be granted to SNAs representing Ireland at the Olympic Games, World Championship events, European Championship events, and pre-Olympic qualifying competitions. This leave is to be processed in the same manner as the arrangements outlined in the attached Circular Letter 09/03/1987. 

In addition, the Department also acceded to afford the same entitlement to SNAs as is for teachers in relation to representing Ireland abroad (paid), standing as a candidate in a General Election (unpaid) and standing as a candidate in a Local Election (paid).

Fórsa official Shane Lambert explained the importance of this union fought win.

“Whilst acknowledging the improvements won’t affect a significant number of SNAs and may be considered small in nature, it is significant in principal as it further supports the unions arguments that such differences in entitlements should not exist, unless there is an objective justification to support them,” he said.

The union has formally lodged a claim to bridge disparities between SNAs and other education colleagues across all leave types where there is no justification for the disparity to exist. Shane said that this item remains a “work in progress” and work is still ongoing.

“We will continue to press in the same way for equal treatment and provisions in items such as paid family illness leave, extra personal days and health and safety Leave for pregnant SNAs amongst others.  We expect further discussions with the Department on this in the coming months and will keep members informed of progress” he said.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

Fórsa is to commence a ballot on the new public sector pay deal later this month. If the deal is ratified, the new pay terms will affect most members of the union, as it will apply to workers employed directly by the State in public services and state agencies.

The union’s National Executive Committee (NEC), made up of elected members of Fórsa from the union’s various sectoral divisions, met last week and unanimously recommended acceptance of the terms of the deal in the forthcoming ballot.

The union is now making arrangements for a series of member information meetings in advance of the ballot, which is set to commence on 19^th February.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said union members ultimately decide whether to back the new agreement through the national ballot: “Fórsa is a member-led organisation and, in all matters of policy, it is the members who have the last word.

“The union’s executive backed the terms of the deal, and its recommendation is based on the understanding that the pay terms represent the absolute maximum achievable through negotiations at this time, and that it is the outcome of a challenging negotiations process,” he said.

The previous public service pay agreement, Building Momentum, expired on 31^st December 2023. The proposed new deal covers the period from 1st January 2024 to 30th June 2026.

The 19 unions affiliated to the Public Services Committee (PSC) of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), have until Monday 25^th March to complete ballots of their members. If the deal is ratified by an aggregate ballot of the PSC it would provide the following pay terms:

2024

• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 2.25% or €1,125, whichever is greater, from 1st January 2024
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% on 1st June 2024
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, on 1st October 2024.

2025

• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 2% or €1,000, whichever is greater, on 1st March 2025
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% on 1st August 2025
• The first phase of local bargaining of 1% on 1^st September 20225

2026

• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, on 1st February 2026
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% on 1st June 2026.

The pay proposals are estimated to be worth up to 17.3% for lower paid workers. This is because the flat-rate elements of the pay deal are worth more to public servants earning below €50k per annum. The benefit is greater for incomes below this level of salary.

If the proposed agreement is accepted, unions will not be able to lodge any ‘cost-increasing’ claims for improvements in pay or conditions during the lifetime of the agreement. However, there are specific provisions for local bargaining, which would allow trade unions to negotiate up to an additional 3% of pay costs, inclusive of allowances, for particular grades, groups or categories of employee.

For more information about the new agreement please visit our dedicated ballot hub.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

Fórsa will be participating in a national demonstration calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, next Saturday 17^th February, which is set to be a Global Day of Action. The demonstration, organised by the Irish Palestine Solidarity Committee, will take place in Dublin, assembling at the Garden of Remembrance at 1pm.

Despite talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in recent days the hostilities have continued. Over 27,000 thousand people have now been killed with many thousands more missing or injured.

Fórsa will be participating in the march and will be assembling outside the Hugh Lane Gallery from 1pm to distribute flags and banners for the march. If you would like to assist in this work please get in touch with the campaigns unit by emailing campaigns@forsa.ie.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

With AGM season ratcheting up a gear and with the looming deadline for National Conference motions, the Skills Academy would like to remind you of its Lunch and Learn recording from January 2023 which provides a useful overview of how to craft motions and navigate the submissi­­­on process. It is available here.

“An important instrument in the toolkit of union democracy is the accurate use of motions which can be both progressive and significant in outcome,” commented Fiona Dunne, Director of Membership Training and Development. 

“The first step in the motion process is to decide what needs to be achieved, who can help deliver it and what might be the likely impact if this change is implemented. The session has been shared online, so take some time to watch it.” she continued.

The Lunch and Learn series are an ongoing webinar programme hosted by the Fórsa Skills Academy which aims to give members the knowledge to support them as a union member or representative. It’s a supplement to the broader range of training programmes offered by the union.  

“A playlist of previous virtual sessions can be accessed on YouTube. As well as tackling the minutia of union democracy, other topics have included improving your CV and nailing job interviews, public speaking, menopause health and digital trade unionism,” said Fiona.

As always if you have any specific training requirements for you, your colleagues, workplace, or branch, please don’t hesitate to contact the union at skillsacademy@forsa.ie. Check out the Skills Academy channel here.

UPCOMING TRAINING FROM FÓRSA SKILLS ACADEMY

February 

You still have time to register NOW for Foundational Workplace Representatives Training in Sligo – three consecutive days – Tuesday 27^th – Thursday 29^th February.  This is aimed at new Workplace Representatives! 

The next Lunch and Learn Session on Friday, 23^rd February will be on the Topic of Job Evaluations – and the link to register for this will be sent out this week to Branch Training Officers/Secretaries and Chairs to circulate.

March

Expanded Workplace Reps Training – Wednesday 6^th – Thursday 7^th March – Cork.

The link to register for Fórsa 101 on Wednesday 13^th March, will be sent out next week to Training Officers/Secretaries and Chairs to circulate. This is an online information session for all new members.

Foundational Workplace Reps Training – Tuesday 26^th – Thursday 28^th March – South East (Wexford)

Branch Chairs and Secretaries Training – Tuesday 26^th March – Dublin

Branch Treasurers Training – Thursday 28^th March – Dublin

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.

The Fórsa Gaeltacht grant winners for 2024 have been announced. The Fórsa Gaeltacht grants scheme is aimed at promoting the use and comprehension of Irish by providing financial assistance to children of Fórsa members who wish to study Irish during the summer.

Grants of €150 each will be made available to 80 winners for attending residential Irish language courses this summer. A further 40 grants of €70 will be made to assist children to attend day-only Irish courses held outside Gaeltacht areas.

The list of all 120 winners can be found HERE.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.