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Pay campaign to include ballots
by Bernard Harbor
 

Union negotiators have urged all public service unions to join a coordinated campaign, supported by industrial action ballots, for improved pay.


Union negotiators have urged all public service unions to join a coordinated campaign, supported by industrial action ballots, for improved pay. The announcement came four weeks after talks on improved pay awards for 2021 and 2022 ended in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) without agreement.

 

Led by Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, the negotiating team also said they were no longer prepared to discuss an extension of the Building Momentum agreement until improved terms for 2021-2022 are agreed. The Government had sought an extension to provide certainty over next year’s pay bill.

 

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland programme earlier this week, Kevin said all low paid and middle-income workers, including public servants, were struggling.

 

“They are really struggling with the cost of living. We need this Government, as an employer, to respond to that, just as we would expect other employers to do their bit in relation to this cost-of-living crisis," he said.

 

The negotiators accused the Government of breaching the current Building Momentum public service pay agreement by failing to conclude a review of its pay terms. The review clause was triggered by unions over four months ago when inflation was 5.6%. Subsequent talks in the Workplace Relations Commission ended without agreement on 17th June, by which time inflation had hit 7.8%.

 

Kevin said that Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) officials had told the WRC that the Government needed more time to reflect on its position.

 

“Four weeks later, with inflation at 9.1%, they are still reflecting. The administration is now effectively winding down until mid-September, leaving low and middle-income public servants with the prospect of another two months of uncertainty. In our view, the Government’s attitude towards its staff is bordering on contempt.

 

“Given its continued foot-dragging, it seems clear that the Government does not intend to conclude the review of Building Momentum,” he said.

 

In a letter to all ICTU-affiliated public service unions, Kevin and other lead negotiators recommended that unions begin practical arrangements for balloting from next month.

 

"We can't be accused of rushing the fences. We've been very patient, but our patience has now run out and we demand a fair deal from this Government. Fórsa will continue to lead the campaign to protect incomes in the face of soaring bills, and we will not waver if we have to battle to protect the living standards of working people," he said.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Challenges in health and welfare in 2022
by Ashley Connolly
 

Ashley Connolly was appointed head of Fórsa’s Health and Welfare Division at the beginning of July. With 20 years’ experience working in a hospital environment prior to working with Fórsa, she’s uniquely placed to cast a reflective eye on the challenges facing Fórsa’s health and welfare members this year. She looks at how the union is responding and at some of the additional challenges coming into view.


We’re now well and truly in the midst of the summer holiday period, and yet I’m conscious that there’s no real let-up in pressure for workers in public health and welfare.

Despite having entered a ‘post-pandemic’ period, our hospitals and other health services are dealing with another spike in Covid infection. This is adding to existing pressures on our public health system and the day-to-day challenges faced by Fórsa members.

In addition, up to 200 health staff are currently absent due to ‘long Covid’ symptoms. Very little is understood about the condition and its long-term effects.

Despite this, for workers newly diagnosed with a Covid-related illness since the beginning of July, the HSE is treating work absences - beyond the required seven days isolation period - as ordinary sick leave.

The HSE scheme is not acceptable to the trade unions as it fails to address our members real concerns.

That’s why Fórsa and other health unions have called on the health minister to honour his commitment that healthcare workers would continue to receive special leave with pay if they’re suffering from long Covid.

We’re also pressing to ensure that as many health workers as possible receive the special Covid payment. To this end, we’re making full use of the appeals process.

We want to ensure that workers on the frontline in community, voluntary and private employment, who did so much to meet the Covid-19 onslaught, and who continued to do so beyond the cut-off date of July 2021, are recognised for the payment.

Challenges

Following such a lengthy and significant public health crisis, it’s understandable that the HSE’s chief executive has now decided to move on from his current post. Paul Reid’s successor will face a wide range of human resources and logistical issues that need to be addressed. Among these is the recruitment of more staff into disability services, many of which are delivered by the community and voluntary sector organisations funded by the HSE.

The current funding model effectively prohibits pay improvements in these employments, make them unable to recruit and retain qualified health and social care professionals.

It’s a vicious circle that must be broken. And it’s driving Fórsa’s preparations for industrial action in a number of community and voluntary sector employments this autumn.

Reid’s successor also has to oversee the establishment of the six HSE regional health areas (RHAs) approved by the Government in April. This is an essential step towards improving community health services.

The over-reliance on acute hospitals and their trolleys is a direct result of under-developed regional and community health services.

There really is no alternative to community-led provision if we want to improve access to services and address hospital overcrowding, and the incoming chief executive of the HSE needs to have a firm grasp of this approach.

A High Court ruling in May raised a lot of very complex issues for the multidisciplinary teams involved in the delivery of needs assessments, and Fórsa continues to take a proactive approach with employers and policy makers to meet the challenges laid down by the ruling.

Breakthrough

The breakthrough on working hours achieved by the unions this year is significant, and it’s good to see that the HSE has a target of maximising the number of health workers returning to pre-austerity hours from this month. Payment arrangements are being put in place for those who can’t return to the reduced hours immediately.

As a union we continue to take great pride in the work of our members in health and welfare services, and not just in times of crisis. You have a strong and admirable record of always putting yourselves at the centre of the nation’s care. It’s my great privilege to work on your behalf, and ensure your voice is heard at the negotiation table.

We’ve seen some staff changes in Fórsa recently. The team now working with our Health and Divisional Executive will include Linda Kelly as national secretary with responsibility for health and social care professionals. Chris Cullly has national responsibility for Tusla, social work and social care workers as well as national professional committees. And Denis Keane now has national responsibility for corporate affairs. We will be building upon the achievements of our predecessors.

All four of us, along with all our vastly experienced health officials who work closely with their local branches across the country, are well placed to represent more than 30,000 members across health.

We are working towards the delivery of our strategic plan and as we prepared for the challenges associated with the introduction of regional health agencies, and our members will be at the centre of this process.

As we enter the late summer, I hope that you and your loved ones will have an opportunity to take a breather and enjoy the long summer evenings and the sunshine.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Galway rally marks boost in community campaign
by Niall Shanahan
 

Fórsa’s Galway Health and Local Government branch is planning a protest rally on Saturday 27th August to highlight pay inequality, recruitment difficulties and growing waiting lists in the community and voluntary sector.


Fórsa’s Galway Health and Local Government branch is planning a protest rally on Saturday 27th August to highlight pay inequality, recruitment difficulties and growing waiting lists in the community and voluntary sector.

 

The event marks the beginning of an escalation of the union’s campaign for a better funding model, and improved pay, in the community and voluntary sector as Fórsa begins preparations to ballot members for industrial action from September.

 

This week, Fórsa was one of the unions to announce that workers in the care, community and voluntary sector will escalate their campaign of industrial action to secure a first pay rise in 14 years after the Government failed to engage following strikes in selected workplaces earlier this month.

 

The ICTU ‘Valuing Care, Valuing Community’ campaign committee is to ballot members across the sector for an intensified campaign of industrial action, commencing in September and extending countrywide thereafter. The campaign is supported by the ICTU, SIPTU, Fórsa and the INMO.

 

The head of Fórsa’s Health and Welfare Division, Ashley Connolly accused the Government of failing to grasp the link between its chronic underfunding of the services and the failure to meet the HSE’s recruitment targets in disability services and elsewhere.

 

“The outgoing head of the HSE has acknowledged they’re having problems meeting targets for disability services nationally, including unfilled roles in 18 organisations funded by the State. This has led to service delivery issues and growing waiting lists.

 

“The HSE leans heavily on the community and voluntary sector to deliver these services. These are the same organisations struggling to attract enough qualified and experienced staff in a very tight labour market. Why? Because they can get better paid work elsewhere.

 

"Fórsa has already established there’s an annual staff turnover of around 30% in this sector*, which drives up HR and related recruitment costs. The failure to fund the services adequately has led directly to shortfalls in services and growing waiting lists,” she said.

 

Galway rally

 

Fórsa official Pádraig Mulligan said the ‘Fund Us Fairly, Pay Us Right’rally in Galway will draw support from Fórsa branches around the country and the local community.

 

“This will be a family-friendly event, designed to boost awareness of services in health, disability and homeless services in Galway under severe pressure because workers are not getting a fair deal from employers.

 

“We have people in the same grades in different employments, delivering the same services, who are on different rates of pay. This is because those agencies funded by the HSE cannot deliver any pay improvements. As a result, staff are moving on to where they can.

 

Remote work law shunted to autumn
by Bernard Harbor
 

Revised legislation to implement the Government’s promise to give all workers a right to request remote working won’t be published until the autumn at the earliest.


Revised legislation to implement the Government’s promise to give all workers a right to request remote working won’t be published until the autumn at the earliest. Earlier this month, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) called for the new law to be made a legislative priority, as employers’ groups continued to cool on the idea.

 

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment conclude its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Right to Request Remote Work Bill on 7th July. It recommended that the proposed “cumbersome” grounds for refusing remote working in the Government’s original proposals be revised, and said workers should not have to have 26 weeks’ service before being allowed to apply.

 

But Fórsa and other unions have criticised delays in making good on the promise to legislate, which was first announced to great fanfare in January 2021.

 

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the Government should act without further delay to ensure the gains from remote working were not lost. “There has been a deficit of ambition by Government to deliver on their commitment to providing workers the right to request remote work," she said.

 

Patricia also rejected the idea, put forward by some employers, that legal rights aren’t needed because remote work is already on offer to workers. “This does not tally with what we are hearing from union representatives on the ground. Their experience is that employers are reluctant to engage until this legislation is enacted,” she said.

 

Speaking at the Fórsa national conference in May, the union’s president Michael Smyth said the Government had returned to old and outmoded ways of thinking instead of looking forward. He described this as “a spectacular own goal after two years of a revolutionary real-world experience.”

 

The union says Government foot-dragging has created a vacuum that employers are now using to row back on support for remote and blended working. As an employer, the Government dragged out negotiations on a framework for blended working in the civil and public service, and we’ve seen the same approach on the legislation for a legal right to request.

 

From early 2021, Fórsa urged ministers not to lose the momentum created by the huge success of remote work during the pandemic. But that’s exactly what they’ve done, and employers’ representatives have withdrawn support for a radical shift to new ways of working. Ibec has said legislation is “premature” and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce has called for legislation to be postponed.

 

But all the evidence shows they are swimming against the tide as studies continue to show remote working to be productive and popular among workers.

 

A recent large study from NUI Galway’s Whitaker Institute and the Western Development Commission revealed that almost a third of respondents had changed jobs since 2020, with 47% of them saying remote working was a key factor in their decision.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Inflation likely to average 8%
by Bernard Harbor
 

Inflation is likely to average close to 8% over the whole of 2023 before falling gradually to around 4% by the middle of next year. That’s the latest view from the trade union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).


Inflation is likely to average close to 8% over the whole of 2023 before falling gradually to around 4% by the middle of next year. That’s the latest view from the trade union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).

 

The bleak assessment in the institute’s Summer Economic Report is that real incomes will fall for most households this year, and that wages are unlikely to keep pace with inflation.

 

And there’s a risk that the fall in real incomes will cause a decline in economic activity unless people start spending their savings, which looks unlikely given the current financial uncertainties. This means a short recession is possible, though NERI says it wouldn’t be anything like on the scale experienced following the 2009 crash or the recent pandemic.

 

The report says that both the public finances and employment growth remain strong, with youth unemployment at an all-time low. This points to a likely economic bounce-back in 2023, with the caveat that events in Ukraine and broader global economic and political uncertainties could bring unforeseen setbacks.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Millions of workers can't afford holidays
by Niall Shanahan
 

More than 38 million people in Europe can’t afford a week's holiday despite being employed, according to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). 


More than 38 million people in Europe can’t afford a week's holiday despite being employed, according to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). It said poverty wages had added three million to last year’s figures.

 

While access to holidays has grown over the last decade, the majority of the EU’s low-income families EU remain excluded. Overall, 28% of EU citizens can’t afford a one-week holiday away from home.

 

The ETUC listed Romania, Greece and Lithuania as the worst affected EU countries. Italy, Spain and France also have high numbers of workers missing out on a break for financial reasons.

 

The ETUC, which counts the Irish Congress of Trade Unions among its affiliates, has been highlighting holiday inequality as part of its efforts to strengthen the EU’s directive on adequate minimum wages and collective bargaining.

 

The directive, designed to ensure adequate minimum wages, enable a decent standard of living, guard against in-work poverty and reduce wage inequality, is to be formally approved by the parliament and the EU employment and social-affairs council in September.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Feature Article
Have we got your number?
by Niall Shanahan
 

It is vital to every member of Fórsa, and to the union, that we have accurate and up-to-date contact details for everyone. If you have recently changed job, or if your postal or email address has recently changed, you can update your details on a new dedicated page on our website.


Fórsa recently launched its new membership database system (Solas) which is designed to improve the union’s communication with you, and to ensure we have up-to-date contact details for all our members.

 

This initiative was informed by the experience of the pandemic, which underlined the necessity for us to keep in touch with you through reliable digital contact details.

 

The new membership system is fully compliant with GDPR data protection requirements and allows you to update your contact details directly. You can do it HERE.

 

Personal

In anticipation of a possible ballot on a public service pay deal in the coming months, it’s crucial that we can contact you.

 

One way to ensure Fórsa can always provide you with the information you need is to provide a personal email address, as many employers block information sent from the union to your work email address. Even those that permit mail from Fórsa could choose to block union communications at any time.

 

Once we have your personal email address, we will always be able to reach you and ensure that you are fully updated on important developments, including ballots.

 

Privacy

Please share this message 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.

 

You can download a copy of Fórsa’s privacy statement HERE, which sets out how Fórsa is committed to protecting and securing your personal data in accordance with Irish and EU data protection legislation, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU2016/679) and Irish Data Protection Act 2018.

 

Visit Update my details at forsa.ie 

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Also in this issue
Back at the end of August
 

We take a break from publishing the Fórsa ebulletin during August, which tends to be a relatively quiet time for industrial relations and trade union activity.

 

We’ll be back with the regular fortnightly bulletin from 26th August. But, in the meantime, we’ll be sending you special updates about any developments on public service pay negotiations or other urgent business.

 

Here’s hoping you get a chance to take a well-deserved break over the next few weeks. All of team here look forward to bringing you all the news and union views again from the end of next month.

 

Don’t forget to update your details online to ensure that you keep receiving these bulletins.

Fórsa Gaeltacht grants now available
by Róisín McKane
 

Applications are now open for the 2022 Fórsa Gaeltacht grant scheme, which will make 80 grants of €150 each available to assist children of Fórsa members attending residential Irish language courses in Gaeltacht areas this summer.

 

A further 40 grants of €70 are available to assist children to attend day-only Irish language courses held outside Gaeltacht areas.

 

Children of Fórsa members, who are aged between 11 years and 18 years of age on 1st July 2022, are eligible to apply for the grant scheme. You can download the application form HERE. Please download the form to a folder on your device prior to filling it out.

 

If you cannot use the fillable form online then please print the form, complete it in black pen and return it to: General Services Committee, Gaeltacht Scheme, Fórsa, Nerney’s Court, Dublin, D01 R2C5 to arrive before 5.30pm on Wednesday 31st August 2022.

 

All digital applications should be sent to Gaeltacht@forsa.ie. You should send any queries to the same address. 

Motion calls for affordable housing
by Mark Corcoran
 

A cross-party motion calling for a change of direction on public housing was brought in front of the Dáil last week. The motion, tabled by Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, called for the Budget to deliver a radical shift in housing policy next year.

 

The initiative came from the Fórsa-backed ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign, which is calling for rent controls, an end to forced evictions, more secure tenancies, and a legal right to housing.

 

A ‘Raise the Roof’ rally in Limerick city centre earlier this month was attended by several political parties and key civil society bodies.

 

The Government responded to the cross-party motion by pointing out their commitment to ensure that 300,000 homes will be built over the next decade. But the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has said policy needs to focus on affordable housing, rather than the total number of new builds.

 

The Government programme envisages the construction of 90,000 social homes by the end of 2030.

 

Fórsa and ICTU have been supporters of the ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign since its establishment.

 

Read more about the campaign HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Unions win paid sick leave for all
by Mark Corcoran
 

Unions have won the right for workers to get paid sick leave after new legislation passed through both houses of the Oireachtas earlier this week.

 

Before now, almost no worker had a legal right to paid sick leave, though collective agreements negotiated by Fórsa and other unions meant that about half of all employees in Ireland had access to paid sick leave.

 

Fórsa welcomed the new legal rights, which were the result of a sustained trade union campaign led by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

 

The new legislation will initially give a minimum entitlement of three days paid sick leave a year. This will rise to ten days in 2025. It will be paid by employers at 70% of gross salary or up to €110 a day.

 

Employees will have to present a medical certificate to avail of statutory sick pay. And they don’t become eligible until they’ve worked for their employer for 13 weeks.

 

Ireland was previously one of few advanced economies in Europe without a mandatory sick leave entitlement. Almost all European countries legally require employers to continue to pay staff, in full or in part, when they are if sick and unable to work for a period.

 

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said the new landmark legislation ended Ireland’s failed voluntary approach to sick pay.

 

“This will be an enduring positive legacy of the pandemic. Up to now, Ireland was one of just a handful of wealthy countries globally that did not guarantee workers paid sick leave from their employer when unfit for work.

 

“Paid sick days were treated as a perk of the job that employers could decide whether to include in a contract of employment. As a result, over one million employees, are not covered for sick pay in their terms and conditions,” she said.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Workers’ legal rights fall short
by Mark Corcoran
 

Significant action is needed to meet Government commitments to improve legal protections for workers in Ireland according to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

 

In its latest report to the Council of Europe, the commission highlighted the absence of a legal right to collective bargaining which, it said, led to an imbalance of power between workers and their employers. It recommended immediate Government action to address these gaps.

 

The IHREC’s chief commissioner Sinéad Gibney identified the need for an organised and robust workforce, with access to union representation for effective worker representation and negotiations on pay and working conditions.

 

“Workers’ rights are key to accessing a range of other rights. If you’re low paid, working long hours under pressure, cut off from information about your job security, and unable to join a union, this impacts your health, your family, and whether you can afford adequate accommodation or childcare,” she said.

 

The report also expressed concerns about inadequate protections for employees, discriminatory policies that affect disabled employees, and the prevalence of discrimination and sexual harassment in our labour market.

 

“No one should suffer discrimination due to their economic or social situation. Yet we see this happen daily throughout the country. It is vital that the State steps up and delivers on its commitments to all people working to earn a living,” said Gibney.

 

The commission called on the Government to show more ambition in the introduction of a new ground of discrimination, based on socio-economic disadvantaged status, in Ireland’s equality legislation. State-commissioned research on this has yet to be published.

 

It also recommended that the Employment Equality Acts be amended to address gaps in protections for domestic workers. Read the report HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.