The My Open Library service is to open in Arklow, County Wicklow, for the first time tomorrow (Thursday). The service offers extended seven-day-a-week opening hours to library members on a self-service basis.

The service in Arklow is one of the services designated under the terms of a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC)-brokered national agreement for library services. Fórsa official Una Faulkner said the WRC agreement required local consultation prior to the opening of new services.

“The union emphasised this in all of our engagements with management of the library services last year. “However, the local branch was only informed less than two weeks before management wanted to launch the service. This was in breach of the two-week minimum requirement for the union to review possible health and safety risks.

“We met management in early April and again this week. The branch was then satisfied with the risk assessment to date and agreed to the opening of the service this week. We’ve also agreed a date for review in early May,” she said.

Negotiation
Head of Fórsa’s Local Government Division, Peter Nolan, said branches were currently in discussions with employers following last years’ acceptance of the libraries’ framework.

“Only a small number of branches have reached agreement on staffing. The April meeting of Fórsa’s Divisional Executive Committee said branches should utilise third-party intervention if progress has not been made,” he said.

Blog: Library love
Meanwhile, writer Aingeala Flannery has written about her enduring love of Ireland’s library services in the latest edition of Fórsa magazine, which is now circulating in workplaces. You can download it HERE. 

Aingeala’s piece is also published on the Fórsa website’s blog page which you can read here: For the love of a good book.