If you’re interested in applying for an exciting and challenging post in trade union organising or industrial relations, you should check out the five posts currently being advertised by Fórsa.

The union is looking to fill organising posts in campaigns, strategic organising, and training and development, as well as two industrial relations officer posts – one in Dublin and one in the West.

The deadline for applications is 1st March. Read more HERE.

Fórsa is studying the detail of last week’s Labour Court recommendation regarding the nurses' dispute, and will also want to see the outcome of further talks on a proposed new nurses’ contract before fully assessing any implications for other civil and public service grades.

The Labour Court has given the parties three weeks to negotiate a new nurses’ contract. The details may be significant in terms of the total value of the outcome, while the nature of the productivity strings attached to the package will also be relevant if they are substantial.

If agreement is reached in the contract talks, the nursing unions plan to ballot on the outcome.

This means it will be the end of March, at the earliest, before any implications for the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA), which governs public service pay and related matters, can be fully assessed.

Fórsa was the first union out of the blocks when it issued a holding statement on the evening the Labour Court issued its recommendation (Monday 11th February). The Fórsa executive will be updated on developments at its scheduled gathering at the end of this month, and a Consultative Council meeting – which involves representatives from all the union’s branches – has been called for mid-March.

While ministers have expressed the view that the nurses’ Labour Court recommendation is in line with the PSSA, senior Fórsa officials have been assured that there will be continued engagement with the union and the ICTU Public Services Committee, which brings together virtually all public service unions.

Unions have told the Government that other grades will expect similar opportunities to have their pay reviewed during the lifetime of the public service agreement, which isn’t due to expire until the end of next year.

Clerical and administrative staff are among the groups hardest hit by the cost of housing, which has risen much faster than incomes, according to a new report from the union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).

Affordability in the housing market of the Republic of Ireland for different groups of workers, compares pay to the costs of buying and renting a house.

The report says the Irish housing market is “dysfunctional” and that significant sectors of the population find it difficult to afford accommodation, particularly around Dublin.

Clerical, sales and service staff is one of two groups of workers identified by the study as having particular difficulties. This is because they experienced significantly lower wage gains, compared to rent increases, between 2010 and 2018.

The NERI report also says that a housing affordability crisis is continuing unabated despite a rising level of new dwelling completions.

Fórsa has been campaigning for affordable housing and an end to homelessness. Along with other unions participating in the ICTU ‘raise the roof’ campaign, it has called for a major public house building scheme, and other measures to tackle the crisis.
 
Read the report HERE.

Hundreds of workers in Wicklow-based Sunbeam House Services are to get improved pay following significant movement in talks between the HSE, Fórsa and the Wicklow-based intellectual disability service provider. The union’s Wicklow Health & Welfare branch last week confirmed that a one-day strike had been postponed on foot of the breakthrough.

The long-running dispute centred on the HSE’s refusal to provide Sunbeam with funds to restore pay lost when increments were suspended between January 2009 and January 2016.

But the union has now received a formal proposal, which will see staff moved to the correct point of their pay scale from 1st May this year.

Last year, an overwhelming majority of Fórsa members in the organisation backed industrial action, after face-to-face discussions and a number of conciliation sessions in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) failed to result in agreement to restore income lost during the recession.

A strike planned for last March was suspended after the HSE – Sunbeam’s main funder – said it would validate the costs involved and allocate appropriate funding. That validation process was completed last June.

But the HSE did not follow through, even though Sunbeam House management accepted that restoration was due, and had carried the liability in its accounts since incomes were cut in 2009.

Fórsa official Ryan McKinney paid tribute to the Wicklow Health & Welfare branch and said important progress had been made because of members’ determination and the prospect of further industrial action. “We appreciate that more remains to be done on the issue of arrears, but huge progress has been achieved through determined collective action and the efforts, over a number of years, of local activists including Margaret Coughlan, Rachel Elliot and Ian Harte,” he said.

Sunbeam House provides a range of supports, including residential places, to adults with intellectual disabilities at various locations in county Wicklow and south county Dublin.

Two-thirds of Irish adults believe free childcare should be available to all, according to an annual study conducted by Early Childhood Ireland. And the same number say the pay of highly-trained childcare staff should reflect their qualifications.

Responding to the survey results, Fórsa organiser Katie Morgan said salaries in the early years’ sector remained among the lowest in the Irish workforce, and that the Government was falling short on its commitment to establishing a graduate-led workforce.

“While we appreciate the need for a highly-skilled workforce, and understand the benefits it would bring, we need a clear commitment from Government that it will fund improvements in pay and working conditions in early childhood to reflect these qualifications,” she said.

Fórsa says most staff in the sector are already highly-qualified. But services are hit by high staff turnover because remuneration does not match the level of qualifications demanded.

“We need increased investment to professionalise the grade. We welcome these survey results as they demonstrate strong public support for improved terms and conditions in the sector,” Katie said.

The research also found high support for better regulation of the sector, with 87% saying all private childminders should have basic first aid skills, be Garda vetted, and be subject to higher regulatory standards.

Early Childhood Ireland director of policy and advocacy, Frances Byrne echoed Katie’s sentiments. “The survey results represent a vital mandate for Government to continue to robustly invest in and deliver further supports for the sector and families,” she said.

Read more HERE.

Fórsa remains in ongoing talks with the HSE about Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) structures in primary care and social care. The union has won a commitment that the employer will undertake a risk assessment regarding governance functions in social care, which is by far the largest of the four CHO directorates.

The union is also seeking a strengthened management support structure in primary care, the second largest directorate. It is envisaged that discussions on this will move to each CHO area once central principals are established and agreed.

Fórsa is also pursuing matters relevant to the mental health and health and wellbeing directorates, including support structures in those areas. This issue, in conjunction with the question of reporting relationships in children’s disability networks, will be the subject of a WRC hearing next Wednesday (27th February).

The union is insisting that the therapy managers’ line management function must not be eroded.

Two Fórsa committees that bring together clerical, administrative and executive grades across all sectors of the civil and public service are to pilot a joint survey of workplaces. The two ‘equivalent grades committees’ will use the exercise to help identify the most important inter-divisional issues for the grades.

The survey will be open to relevant grades in workplaces across four of Fórsa’s divisions: civil service, health and welfare, local government, and education. It will seek the views of union members and non-members. 

The pilot will see the distribution of survey material to workers in the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Letterkenny, Portlaoise hospital, Central Statistics Office Cork, and IOT Waterford in April. It is anticipated that the exercise will be rolled out in other workplaces following analysis of the pilot results.

Fórsa general secretary Eoin Ronayne encouraged all available participants to engage with the pilot. “As these surveys are pilots it is important that we encourage a high level of engagement in these areas. This will give us a significant snapshot of the issues affecting members across divisions nationwide,” he said.

The two Fórsa cross-divisional committees have been exploring differences in pay, working time, and other working conditions for clerical, admin and executive staff in different parts of the civil and public service.

The clerical officer/grade III equivalent grades committee has identified differences in annual leave, pay, working time and flexitime for members of the grades across the civil service, health, education local government, and the non-commercial semi-state sector.

A separate equivalent grades committee for executive grades/grades IV-VII also found significant differences in annual leave, pay, compassionate leave and flexitime.

An evening surrounding the theme of women in media and politics will be hosted by Women On Air in Dublin on 6th March – two days before international women’s day. Former RTÉ political correspondent Martina Fitzgerald, who also wrote the 2018 bestselling book Madam Politician, will give her personal insight into the industry.

Martina recently sat on a panel at a Fórsa event which focused on encouraging more women (#MoreWomen) to run for election. This ties in with the theme for this year’s International Women’s day, #BalanceforBetter.

Proceeds from the event will help fund Women On Air, a voluntary network of women and men who want to see and hear more women on the airwaves. The group runs seminars, events and informal training workshops to help give women the skills and confidence to go on radio and television.

The event, which starts at 7.00pm and ends at 9.00pm, takes place on 6th March in the Radisson Blu, Royal Hotel, Dublin 8. Tickets cost €8 and can be purchased HERE.

Legislation to extend unpaid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks and increase the child’s qualifying age from eight to 12 years has again been backed by the Government after it appeared to have withdrawn support. Earlier, Fórsa wrote to leader of the Seanad, Senator Jerry Buttimer, urging him to use his influence to ensure the legislation’s swift progression. 

Although the union welcomed this new development, reports that the proposal will be implemented over a two-year period instead of immediately are seen as disappointing.

It was previously feared that Government would no longer support the Bill, and there have been significant delays in bringing it forward.

If signed into law the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill would ultimately improve the work-life balance of Irish parents. Now that it’s passed all stages in the Dáil, the Bill is now set to be examined in detail by an Oireachtas committee.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has released a policy-summarising factsheet on bogus self-employment as part of its continuing campaigning on the issue. The factsheet addresses the negative impact of deliberate misclassification of employees on workers, the state and society.

Bogus self-employment involves employers deliberately misclassifying workers as self-employed subcontractors to pay them less, dodge their social insurance and pension contributions requirements, dodge benefits like sick leave, and avoid meeting basic employment law protections.

The factsheet also recommends actions to address the issue. It says workers should only be classified as self-employed if they meet agreed criteria and recommends making principal contractors liable for 10.95% employer PRSI payments for all sub-contractors.

Backdating all unpaid PRSI from employers who misclassified workers, using the WRC and the Labour Court as watchdogs, and strengthening Revenue’s powers to intervene on PRSI non-compliance are among ICTU’s other suggested actions.  

ICTU is also calling for legislation setting clear definitions for the terms ‘worker’ and ‘employee’ in order to clarify legal standing for those engaging in precarious work.

The factsheet is available to view HERE.

Fórsa intends to seek an official commitment that the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Welfare will refrain from outsourcing job activation programmes to private companies in future. The move follows this month’s welcome Dáil vote to end the referrals to the discredited JobPath scheme.

Now the union wants assurances that the department will use community-based organisations like job clubs and the local employment service – along with department staff – instead of expensive and ineffective commercial suppliers.

The JobPath fiasco has seen two private companies receive almost €150 million between them since 2014. Yet only 9% of jobseekers who went through the scheme were still in employment after a year.

The JobPath companies received payments when jobseekers first presented, more cash when they were placed in a job, plus a bonus if a jobseeker gained sustained employment for a full year.

Fórsa official Paul McSweeney said outsourcing job activation was poor value for money. “JobPath has been an unmitigated failure in placing long-term unemployed in meaningful and sustained jobs. We will now be demanding the in-sourcing of this work with adequate resources to ensure that it’s done well in future,” he said.

The unions that amalgamated to create Fórsa just over a year ago opposed the outsourcing of job activation. The former CPSU and PSEU took the matter to arbitration, but were unsuccessful.

Trade unions celebrated Valentine’s Day last week by highlighting deficits in the transparency of tips policies in the restaurant and hospitality sectors. Members of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) One Galway group, which fosters cooperation between unions in the city, handed out leaflets urging customers to help ensure their tips actually go to the staff who serve them.

ICTU says one in three workers in the hospitality sector don’t get the tips customers leave, and that workers have no say in how tips are shared out. It has campaigned for legislation to improve transparency in the distribution of tips.

The National Minimum Wage (Protection of Employee Tips) Bill, which is expected to come before the Seanad this week, would give workers a legal right to their tips and require all restaurants to display a policy on how their tips are distributed.

The proposed legislation also aims to incentivise the introduction of fairer and more transparent systems for distributing tips in restaurants, pubs and hotels.

Last week’s ‘my tip my reward’ event took place on Quay Street in Galway. It coincided with a meeting between One Galway representatives and Senators Paul Gavin and Ged Nash, who are sponsoring the legislation.

Unions say tips are not a substitute for improved pay and conditions in a sector where workers are among the lowest paid, but that fairer distribution of tips could help them make ends meet.

You can find more information on the Bill HERE.

Fórsa’s Margaret Coughlan was among representatives of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) who recently took part in a meeting of the National Strategy for Women and Girls committee, chaired by Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality David Stanton.

Margaret chairs ICTU’s women’s committee.

The National Strategy for Women and Girls report 2017-2020 provided a framework for action to address obstacles to women’s equality and to advance women’s leadership in a variety of areas. Implementation of the plan is monitored and run by the committee, which is comprised of a number of stakeholders including ICTU.

The strategy focused on the needs of working women by proposing increased investment in childcare, action to tackle the gender pay gap, and improvements to the conditions of women in precarious employment.

It also promoted improved access to education, training and employment opportunities for women in difficult circumstances, such as lone parents.

The report is available HERE.

Management in the civil and public service should work with unions to ensure that the introduction of new technologies does not lead to job losses or poorer services. In a paper presented to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform last week, Fórsa argues for steps to ensure that new recruits are equipped to thrive in increasingly-automated work environments, and that older workers should get help to adapt.

Fórsa’s head of civil service Derek Mullen, who penned the paper, said the union would not oppose the introduction of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). “But technological advancement should not be at the cost of services or jobs,” he said.

He pointed to the experience of Revenue where new forms of work organisation, supported by retraining, had increased the tax-take and improved audit and fraud control rather than cutting jobs.

Derek said Fórsa would not give blanket support to the replacement of people-provided services with AI. “We will support properly thought-out automation, controlled by workers whose aim will be the continued enhancement and delivery of public services. Citizens do not want to talk to machines,” he said.

And he said new technologies would flourish best if staff had more autonomy over their working time.

The paper also argues against an expensive external consultant-led approach to technological development. “The diminution of in-house IT services over the last two decades has seen the growth of a hugely costly consultant-led approach to designing new systems. This must change,” it says.

The submission was written as part of the union’s response to civil service management proposals for procurement of new technologies, on foot of an automation pilot that’s been underway in a small number of civil service departments over the last year.

Read the position paper HERE.