Fórsa’s news bulletins are published every fortnight. We publish five bulletins, each covering the sectors where we represent members of the union.

All the news stories we publish are archived (see ‘archive’ search facility at the top of this bulletin) for convenient access and on the website HERE.

But in August each year we press the pause button as a lot of members are on leave, taking a well-earned break from the work and union business.

We’ll be back in September, and already it looks like a busy Autumn, so until then, we hope you enjoy the rest of this (mostly) glorious summer.

Kevin Callinan became Fórsa’s Senior General Secretary last week as former leader Shay Cody retired from the post. He will be supported in the role by the existing General Secretary Eoin Ronayne and a deputy general secretary, who will be ratified by the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) this week following a competition.

Kevin was formerly deputy general secretary of Fórsa and, before that, IMPACT. The members’ ballot on the structure of the new union, which took place in 2017, included agreement that he would succeed Shay in the top post.

A former activist in Dublin Corporation, Kevin has served as a trade union organiser, official, and national secretary in the health sector, the civil service, education, and local government.

As IMPACT deputy general secretary he spearheaded the creation of a thriving organising department and oversaw the creation of the union’s Education Division, which now has over 12,000 members.

Kevin is currently vice president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, and was a member of the executive of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), which recently held its highly-successful tenth congress in Dublin. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of Public Services International.

Kevin told the Bulletin: “My immediate concern is to strengthen the union so that we can deliver better outcomes for members. I have made the case for a review of the Public Services Stability Agreement (PSSA) in the light of changed economic conditions and we already have our eye on public sector pay talks that are anticipated to take place during the first half of next year.”

He also paid tribute to Shay Cody, who retired as senior general secretary on 12th July. “Shay took the helm at an extremely difficult time in 2010. He guided public service unions through three separate sets of talks that resulted in agreements that were subsequently accepted by members. And the creation of Fórsa will stand as a singular achievement and a tribute to his leadership.”

Fórsa has said a survey of school principals is “not nearly enough” to stop a ballot for industrial action by school secretaries going ahead in the autumn.

The union was responding to the announcement by the Department of Education and Skills that it is conducting a survey of schools on the costs of meeting a pay claim by Fórsa for school secretaries and caretakers.

Fórsa Head of Education Andy Pike said: “We note that the DES survey on school secretaries and caretakers pay requires the provision of detailed pay data that in many cases will have to be supplied to school principals by the secretary themselves. The irony of this will not be lost on many of our members.

“The survey alone does nothing to improve the low pay and insecure employment of school secretaries and caretakers.

“Fórsa continues to campaign for the application of public service pay, conditions and pensions for all grant-funded secretaries and caretakers.

“We’ll proceed with the industrial action ballot scheduled to open on 26th August next and will continue to prepare our members for the commencement of industrial action in mid-September.

“If the department is serious about resolving this issue it must commit to a new agreement providing access to public service pay scales, conditions, pensions and year-long secure employment as is the case for all other staff in the schools sector,” he said.

A one-year pilot of the new ‘School Inclusion Model’ scheme, which is taking place in 75 schools in Dublin and surrounding counties from September, has the potential to improve job security for SNAs, following assurances won by Fórsa.

Assistant General Secretary Seán Carabini explained: “At present, the SNA allocation model is based on a single criteria: is there an assessed need? Therefore, if anything happens to that one criteria, it is far too easy to cut an SNA job.

“The new allocation model will be based on up to five criteria, which will help to secure a child’s access to the service, and make it much harder to cut an SNA job,” he said.

Seán explained that Fórsa has won assurances that when the new model is trialed in the pilot area, if it shows the SNA allocation should have increased, new SNAs will be assigned.

He said Fórsa SNA representatives have continued to meet with the Department of Education to better understand the aims of the pilot, and the opportunities that it might bring to the SNA role.

“In general, the purpose of the pilot is not to change the role of the SNA. It is, rather, designed to bring in additional supports to schools, such as occupational and speech and language therapy, as well as address the issue of SNA allocations and SNA professionalisation,” he said.

Seán said the union was working with the pilot scheme in order strengthen the SNA allocation model and work toward improving job security and decreasing the incidences of post fragmentation, as well as securing minimum training standards for SNAs. He said branch representatives are continuing to insist on a level 6 QQI training qualification as the minimum for new-entrant SNAs.

He added the union was disappointed to note that almost 29 SNA posts were cut under the current allocation model in the pilot schools area in May. “We realise that a new allocation model is necessary for SNAs. In the meantime, Fórsa met with Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh and asked that these SNA cuts be reversed,” he said.

Women in Ireland spend twice as much time as men carrying out unpaid care work according to new research. On average, women undertake over 21 hours of unpaid care work each week, compared to less than 11 hours for men.

“Caring and Unpaid Work in Ireland”, which was published by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) earlier this month, found that the average time rose to over 42 hours a week for women who provide regular childcare.

In the report which analyses more than a decade of available data, unpaid care work is defined to include the care of children, older people, and those with a disability.

The results reveal a significant gender gap, with 45% of women providing care for children and older adults, compared to just 29% of men.

The gender gap in unpaid work time in Ireland is seventh highest in the European Union. The chief commissioner at the IHREC, Emily Logan, said Ireland’s performance reflected “the State’s low involvement in support for caring and sees Ireland more in line with southern and eastern European countries than with countries like Scandinavia or western Europe.”

The Government has been given an ‘F’ grade for its record on child and family homelessness, which the Children’s Rights Alliance says has a “devastating” impact on children.

In evidence to an Oireachtas committee, the Alliance criticised the State’s failure to reduce the number of children living in emergency homeless accommodation and urged the Government to invest long-term in public housing.

The Alliance, a coalition of over 100 organisations, also called on the Government to follow through on the recommendations of the 2014 Constitutional Convention to enshrine a constitutional right to housing.

The submission highlights the destructive impact of homelessness on children’s development and the negative health consequences of life in emergency accommodation.

Earlier this month, ICTU General Secretary Patricia King confronted Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the issue, saying that Government should not let children “pay a dreadful price” for its policy failures.

You can read the full submission of the Children’s Rights Alliance HERE and find out more about the No Child 2020 campaign HERE.

An explainer on ‘auto-enrolement,’ setting out the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) stance on changes to the Government’s current plans, and written by ICTU’s social policy officer Laura Bambrick, has been published in the latest edition of the Fórsa magazine.

Auto-enrolment will legally require employers to include all staff who are not already members of an approved occupational pension in a new retirement saving scheme. Workers, employers and the Government will all make contributions to the scheme, which is set to be introduced in 2022.

While Dr Bambrick welcomed the introduction of auto-enrolement in principle, she raised a number of concerns about the current plans, including worries that employers may try to force workers to opt-out of the scheme. ICTU also wants increased contributions from employers and the State.

Dr Bambrick said: “While we do have concerns around some features of the draft system the Government has proposed, Congress agrees in principle with the introduction of auto-enrolment as the most appropriate way of increasing pension coverage.”

The full article is available HERE and latest edition of the Fórsa magazine is available in workplaces now.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has recommended that the national minimum wage should increase to €10.10, a rise of 30 cent. The commission advises the Government on the appropriate rate for statutory minimum pay in advance of the annual budget.

The minimum wage is the minimum employers must pay almost all workers over 18 years of age. Fórsa and other unions advocate for the living wage, an evidence-based estimate of the hourly rate required for a full-time worker to have a minimum acceptable standard of living.

The living wage currently stands at €12.30.

A Fórsa spokesperson said: “More needs to be done to bridge the €2.20 an hour gap between the living wage and the minimum wage, including in the public sector where many clerical officers, school secretaries, SNAs and others are still paid below the living wage.”

The LPC is made up of an independent chairperson appointed by the Government, plus representatives of unions, employers and other stakeholders.

The living wage is set on an annual basis by the Living Wage Technical Group. It takes account of basic cost of living expenses including rent, healthcare, transport and recreation. The group recently cited rising rental costs as the main factor driving the living wage increase for the second year in a row.

Q: I am a new SNA. Which contract should I sign?

A: Since 2005, there is a standard, agreed SNA contract. By agreement with the Department of Education, this is the only contract that can be signed by an SNA.

If you are an SNA working in a primary or special school, the correct contract can be found here.
If you are an SNA working in a post-primary school, the correct contract can be found here.
The SNA contract should not be altered in any way. Furthermore, this contract comes from a national agreement between the union and the Minister for Education.

SNA contract issues: archive

We've been publishing a special segment focussing on contract issues facing SNAs. Devised and written by Assistant General Secretary Seán Carabini, It has proved to be one of the most popular items in the Education news bulletin.

We've archived all of these items for ease of access, and will publish an updated archive in each future edition of the bulletin.
If you have SNA contract issues you'd like to see covered in the bulletin, please contact info@forsa.ie. Please include 'SNA contract issues for the news bulletin' in the subject heading.

Advice on the '72 Hours' and supervision
How is the pay for part time hours calculated?
Notice periods
Panel Appeals
Displacement: Are You Doing Someone Else’s Job?
Standard contract for 2018/2019 school year
SNA allocation FAQs
The NCSE's SNA review: main points and recommendations
Q&A: NCSE Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme
Post fragmentation
I was a full-time SNA but have had my hours cut. Am I entitled to any redundancy payment?

Fórsa has welcomed Westminster’s monumental vote in favour of legislating for equal marriage rights in Northern Ireland in the absence of a Stormont Government by 21st October.

Noting this significant progress, Fórsa equality officer Geraldine O’Brien commended those who have spent decades fighting for these changes.

“It’s high time equality for every citizen in Northern Ireland was prioritised by legislators and that the LGBTQ+ community is granted the rights they deserve. If it weren’t for the tireless work of equality campaigners, including trade unions, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) was also pleased at this development, having campaigned for equal marriage as part of the Love Equality coalition since 2015. ICTU also pressed for reform of Northern Ireland’s laws on abortion, recently passing a motion at its biennial conference whereby delegates voted to support the Alliance for Choice campaign to ensure free, safe and legal abortion.

The Westminster vote also means that abortion provision will be liberalised in the North if the Stormont assembly is not restored in October.

ICTU Assistant General Secretary Eoin Reidy welcomed the proposed changes but said their preference would be that the Northern Ireland Assembly changed the law, rather than the House of Commons.

“We repeat our calls for all parties to agree a rights-based return to the power sharing institutions at Stormont, a position supported by every trade union on the island of Ireland. However in the absence of a functioning Government, we fully support the moves by Westminster to legislate for these important rights,” he said.

Fórsa Senior General Secretary Kevin Callinan has told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs that Columbia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. Giving evidence alongside fellow Justice for Columbia board member Mariela Kohon last week, he said a 2016 peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC guerrillas was “facing huge challenges, and more so since the election of President Iván Duque.”

“It is a source of serious worry that elements of the Colombian peace agreement have been ignored, changed or progressed too slowly,” he said.

Earlier this month Fórsa General Secretary Eoin Ronayne, who recently visited the conflict-torn country, told the ICTU biennial delegate conference that twice as many trade unionists there had been murdered last year than in 2017.

The Columbian peace agreement was meant to bring decades of conflict between Government forces and FARC to an end. It has six pillars including rural reform, enhanced political participation, disarmament, an end to the illicit drug problem, the establishment of a truth commission, and a commission to ensure the agreement is fully implemented.

But Kevin told the Oireachtas committee that the new Duque administration has been frustrating the agreement. Duque, who is openly hostile to the deal, has under-resourced its measures for dealing with the consequences of the conflict. And the chapters that address the root causes of the conflict – rural reform and political participation – have not been implemented.

Kevin said our experiences on this island gave Ireland “special responsibility” to act.

Ms Kohon, who is also the international officer of Britain’s ICTU-equivalent – the Trade Union Congress – told committee members that FARC has complied with their obligations and the UN has verified their disarmament. But she said the Government had abrogated its responsibilities.

It’s estimated that over 590 social leaders, including human rights defenders and trade unionists, have been assassinated since the agreement was signed in November 2016. Callinan and Kohon called on the international community, including Ireland, to act to support the Columbian peace process.

You can watch Kevin Callinan and Mariela Kohon’s evidence HERE.

You can read Kevin’s submission HERE.

A planned ‘excessive water charge,’ which on current water-use trends would be levied on just 7% of households, would be used to fund investment in water conservation measures, according to local government minister Eoin Murphy.

In a letter to Maria Bailey, who chairs the Oireachtas committee on housing, planning and local government, Minister Murphy outlined plans to levy the charge on households that use over 213,000 litres of water a year, which is 1.7 times average household consumption.

The charge would be €3.70 per 1,000 litres of water used in excess of the average. Irish Water, which would be responsible for administering the charge, has proposed a yearly cap of €500 on the charges, which would cover water and wastewater elements of the service.

By comparison, Tesco will sell you two litres of Ballygowan natural water for €1.25.*

Draft regulations prepared by the Minister also allow larger households – those with more than four people – to apply for an additional allowance of 25,000 litres per year for each additional person. There will also be exemptions for those whose medical needs require them to use more water than allowed by the threshold.

* Online price www.tesco.ie ,Tuesday 23rd July 2019.

Brexit poses the biggest risk to the Irish economy, according to the trade union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI). But its Quarterly Economic Observer also warns that economic ‘overheating’ is a major risk in the Republic.

Overheating occurs when an economy is expanding at an unsustainable rate, with inflation growing as output fails to keep pace with demand.

The Quarterly Observer is NERI’s economic outlook for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The summer issue says there is enough ‘fiscal space’ – or available public funding – to introduce stabilising measures in the event of a no-deal Brexit without compromising the medium-term budgetary position.

It also proposes changes to tax policy in the Republic, including minor reforms to the local property tax.

NERI projects real GDP growth of 4.6% in the Republic this year, and 3.3% in 2020, assuming there is a soft Brexit. The body is less optimistic about Northern Irish economic performance, citing its particular vulnerability to a no-deal Brexit.

The economists envisage average real growth of 2% in wages in 2019-2020, and says a tightening labour market should increase the bargaining power of workers.

They say labour market conditions are improving in the short run, with an additional 70,000 people set to enter employment this year.

The report is available HERE.

There is “considerable regional inequality” in the supply of non-acute healthcare services, according to new research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Health Research Board.

In a newly published report, the institute finds that the geographic distribution of primary, community, and long-term health care services in Ireland is “unequal” even after controlling for healthcare need factors.

The study compared the supply of ten non-acute healthcare services across the country, including GPs, public health nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and long-term care.

It found that Kildare, Meath, Wexford, and Wicklow are the most undersupplied counties, whilst Sligo, Cork and Galway are among the best supplied when compared to the national average. Dublin, meanwhile, has a levels of service provision similar to national averages.

The report highlights several policy implications arising from the current distribution of primary, community, and long-term care services across the country. Chief among these is the implications for Sláintecare. It notes the need for a “reform of allocation mechanisms” to ensure that there is sufficient capacity in non-acute health service lest the successful implementation of Sláintecare be impeded.

To this end the report states that “considerable increases in supply of non-acute care” would be required to ensure “equity” in service levels across the State. It also called for more data to be collected to aid and enhance analysis of service provision levels in the future.

You can read the report HERE.