Members working in the community and voluntary sector, in Section 39, 10, and 56 organisations will be asked next week to vote on the recent pay proposal negotiated by Fórsa, SIPTU, the INMO and ICTU.

The ballot will open on Monday 6th of November and will close at noon on Tuesday 21st of November. Members who are eligible to vote will receive detailed instructions on how to vote by email.

The Health & Welfare Divisional Executive Committee is recommending a vote in favour of the pay proposal. Speaking ahead of the ballot opening, Fórsa national secretary Ashley Connolly said: “This agreement is a first step towards addressing the terms and conditions of workers in Section 39, 10 and 56 organisations. We are closer to pay parity than we have been in a decade. The agreement sets out a clear path for pay increases and there is a clear commitment to restoration of the link with public sector pay.”

She added: “This vote is also significant in terms of what happens next. A vote in favour will allow us to progress with further negotiations. If it does not pass, then we return to the drawing board.”

This is the first time the Government has acknowledged the need for sustainable funding in the sector, that the current lack of funding has led to a recruitment and retention crisis, and that the pay of workers in Section 39, 10 and 56 organisations has fallen behind equivalent and comparable grades in public service organisations. You can read the agreement HERE.

Information meetings for members are taking place and will continue to take place over the next 2 weeks. Details of these meetings issue to branches.

What is the pay proposal?

• An increase of 3% from 1 April 2023 (backdated)
• An increase of 2% from 1 November 2023
• An increase of 3% from 1 March 2024
• How does this relate to public sector pay?

If this deal is approved, then there will be meetings between unions and the Government before 1 December 2023, to negotiate further adjustments.

The pay proposal increases outlined above fall short of the 9.5% increase that was agreed in the Building Momentum public sector pay deal, however the next stage of the negotiations will seek to address the remaining gap, and to determine a mechanism to deal with any further increases from future public sector pay agreements.

An FAQ on the pay proposal is available here.

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

Industrial action by Fórsa’s members in clerical and administrative roles in the HSE escalated last Friday, 27th of October.

Fórsa members have been engaged in a sustained action of non-cooperation since the 6th of October, in response to the HSE’s unilateral imposition of a moratorium on recruitment last month.

This week Fórsa and the HSE attended a meeting at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Tuesday 31st of October. At the meeting both parties presented their positions, the conciliation officer asked the parties to adjourn and reflect, ahead of a next meeting on Wednesday 8th of November.

Ashley Connolly, head of Fórsa’s Health & Welfare division commented: “Despite meeting at the WRC this week there has been no progress made to date in this dispute. Members are advised to continue their industrial action. When our members stand firm together it has an impact and sends a strong message.”

Ashley continued “The current recruitment ban has had a direct effect on several vacated posts that were due to be refilled under the current service plan. Suppressing these posts is effectively a job cut, not a cap on further recruitment.”

The escalated action means that Fórsa members are instructed to:

• Decline, unless normally rostered, to work over weekends and / or bank holidays
• Not use their work allocated mobile phone outside of their normal working hours unless it is for emergency purposes
• Not take direction or report to an agency worker from Grade V or above
• Not work outside their agreed contract working hours unless in receipt of agreed overtime rates (this does not include flexi time).
• Members should not engage in communications with all non-HSE personnel in the CTTO and CISO Offices
• Not cooperate with HealthIrl Computer Domain Migration Project and /or other reform projects.

The full instruction to members is available here, and a detailed FAQ on the dispute is available here.

Should there be no further progress phased further escalation of the industrial action will commence in the week of 13th November. Members in various locations will participate in organised rolling lunchtime protests on separate dates from 27th November.

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

Fórsa members employed at the state’s Child and Family agency, Tusla, commenced industrial action last week in the ongoing dispute over the employer’s withdrawal of access to an agreed job evaluation scheme for Tusla staff.

The industrial action involves Tusla’s clerical and administrative staff employed in grades three to six, who balloted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in September.

Notice of industrial action was served on the 4th of October. The action takes the form of a series of non-cooperation actions.

When Tusla was formed in 2013, HSE staff were transferred into the newly-formed agency, with terms and conditions from their HSE employment protected by the terms of a framework agreement, including access to a job evaluation scheme, a process for measuring the relative worth of posts in an organisation based on the work a post-holder is doing or is expected to do.

The dispute has arisen because Tusla has failed to honour the 2013 framework agreement specifically in relation to access to the job evaluation scheme.

Fórsa official Chris Cully said it’s regrettable that the union has had to take industrial action: “This could have been avoided if Tusla and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) had honoured the undertakings given to staff in our framework agreement.

“However, both the employer and DCEDIY have had their hands effectively tied on this issue by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, which has questioned the ongoing validity of the framework agreement,” she said.

On the day the industrial action began the union issued a letter to Minister Roderic O’Gorman urgently requesting a meeting and asking the Minister to honour the entirety of the of the Framework agreement. You can read the letter here.

The industrial action takes the form of a work-to-rule. Fórsa’s clerical and admin members in the affected Tusla grades are instructed not to carry out the work of other colleagues in their absence, not to undertake work in respect of any vacant post, or work associated with the Tusla reform programme. The union has also instructed members not directly involved in the dispute - but employed by Tusla - to ensure they don’t carry out the work of their colleagues taking action, nor to engage in activities deemed to undermine a legitimate industrial action.

Detailed derogations apply to certain areas of Tusla’s work, in particular those related to statutory obligations and the protection of vulnerable children. An FAQ on the dispute is available here.

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

Fórsa members working in the provision of Disability Services are invited to attend an important meeting scheduled for Thursday 9th November at 12.30pm.

You can join the meeting here.

The union is inviting members to contribute to the meeting and express their views on the new roadmap for HSE disability services launched on Tuesday 24th October by Ministers Roderic O’Gorman and Anne Rabbitte.

Fórsa has criticised the HSE for failing to engage with stakeholders and issued a non-cooperation instruction to members.

Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly said: “The roadmap sets out very progressive objectives for children’s disability services that are inclusive and positive.

“However, the simple fact is that most teams do not currently have the staff to be able to deliver what is envisaged in this roadmap. Fórsa has several very serious concerns about some elements of the roadmap, not least due to the ongoing and significant recruitment and retention challenges within CDNTs.

“The experience and knowledge of frontline staff working in CDNTs should not be an afterthought to this process of service improvement. They must be central to delivering solutions to the range of problems within disability services.

“Our members, in addition to service users, parents, families and relevant professional bodies have all been excluded from the development of this roadmap. This is despite repeated efforts to have engagement and consultation by Fórsa and other stakeholder groups,” she said.

Ms Kelly said the union had continued to seek to engage with the employer since a meeting at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in June, but that no further consultation had taken place despite repeated efforts.

She added: “Until such time as these concerns are addressed through meaningful engagement and consultation, Fórsa members in CDNTs have been instructed not to participate in any activity related to the roadmap.”

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

A new paper, ‘30 Years Without Review’, was launched on Wednesday 1st of November by Fórsa and the National Association of Hospital Pharmacy Technicians. The paper calls for the urgent regulation of their profession.

Speaking at the launch, Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly called on the Minister for Health to make the necessary legislative amendments to introduce statutory regulation for hospital pharmacy technicians.

She said: “This is a seminal moment for the profession, it’s a statement of intent of our joint ambitions for the future. Most healthcare professionals in Ireland are regulated, but hospital pharmacy technicians are clearly at risk of becoming an outlier if their regulation is not addressed urgently.”

Statutory regulation is the application of standards to the profession so that the public and service users can be confident about the work the profession does.

Ms. Kelly said the next step will be engaging with every member of the Joint Oireachtas Health committee. Fórsa has also reached out to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and hopes for constructive engagement given the PSI’s recent statements in the workforce intelligence reports.

National Association of Hospital Pharmacy Technicians (NAHPT) officer Leonor O’Connor said “Despite our pivotal role, the lack of an official definition and regulatory framework in the Republic of Ireland is glaring.

“While NAHPT and Hospital Pharmacy Staff collaborate with select educational institutions to shape and assess Pharmacy Technician programmes, the absence of statutory regulation means that there is no standardised benchmark for education and training across all institutions in the country.

This gap leaves the profession without a protected title, coordinated professional development, consistency in the quality of care, and career progression prospects.

“Regulation is absolutely essential to maintain consistent high standards in our practice,” Ms. O’Connor added.

Hospital pharmacy technicians are skilled medical professionals responsible for a large remit of healthcare services. Some of their key responsibilities involve, but are not limited to, compounding chemotherapy drug treatments, administering to and counselling patients on drug treatments, managing hospital budgets for procurement, monitoring the use of regulated medications, reconstituting vaccines, and more.

Yet, in the Republic of Ireland there is no official definition for the hospital pharmacy technician role and no official regulation of education and training.

The full position paper including the detailed results of the joint Fórsa/NAPHT survey is available to view here.

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

Fórsa’s youth network called for an end to the housing emergency at their very first annual general meeting which took place last month.

The network has committed to focusing on issues that particularly affect young people entering the workforce.

Newly elected Chair of Fórsa Youth Isabella De Luca said: “We need to introduce more of our peers to trade unionism and show them that Fórsa is part of the solution to the cost-of-living and housing crises. While our generation is overworked, stressed and underpaid, I believe we are also engaged, empathetic and inclusive. We need future leaders for negotiations on pay and conditions for the workforce, so it’s important that young people see the importance of joining the movement now.”

Branch representatives from across Fórsa’s six divisions were in attendance at the AGM to elect the new steering committee and to participate in a panel discussion on the housing crisis entitled 'Locked Out: The Working Homeless'. Guest speakers included Dr Lorcan Sirr, TU Dublin, Louise Bayliss, Focus Ireland and Jack Ferguson, Community Action Tenants Union.

A motion was passed at the AGM for Fórsa Youth to take an active role in housing and cost-of-living campaigns, with a view to highlighting how the housing crisis and high inflation affects young members and to work towards policy changes in these areas at government level. There was also a strong discussion around disability issues and how bullying in the workplace affects young people.

Fórsa Youth attended the Cost-of-Living pre-budget protest in Dublin on October 7th, joining an alliance of political, trade union, student, environmental and campaigning groups marching from Parnell Square to Leinster House calling for measures to help alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.

Another goal of the incoming steering committee is to recruit young workers as members and activists of the trade union movement.

Fórsa Youth is open to all members between the ages of 18-35 across all divisions of the largest public sector union in Ireland. The primary purpose of the network is to focus on issues and campaigns that are of interest to younger members, encourage participation and to be a voice for young workers.

For further information on Fórsa Youth contact Forsayncsecretary@forsa-rep.ie 

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

Fórsa has donated €100,000 to the UNICEF Gaza Crisis Emergency Appeal.

The union’s national executive announced the decision last week at its monthly meeting, which took place in Cork.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said Fórsa’s national executive took the decision due to the urgency of the appeal: “The scale of the unfolding human catastrophe in Gaza demands a massive humanitarian response.

“Almost half of Gaza’s population are children. UNICEF has a committed humanitarian team who remain in Gaza and work with trusted local NGOs and civil society groups to distribute urgently needed aid.”

Estimates of the death toll in Gaza now stand at over 9000 people. Urgent and practical support is needed, which is why Fórsa’s executive decided to make this donation,” he said.

Fórsa President Michael Smyth said “Our union is committed to showing global solidarity with people around the world. The devastation in Gaza is appalling. UNICEF’s work to protect children is crucial and we are proud to support them.”

Speaking at UNICEF Ireland's office in Dublin, Kevin Callinan said: "Children in Gaza are being killed everyday. A ceasefire is needed now to stop this suffering. We were honoured to meet with UNICEF Ireland to mark Forsa's €100,000 donation to their emergency appeal and thank them for their vital work."

Acknowledging the donation, UNICEF executive director Peter Power thanked Fórsa and outlined where the funding would be directed in the coming weeks and months, including the provision of urgently needed water, hygiene dignity kits, tents, blankets, medicines and food.

You can read his letter to Fórsa here.

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

Ireland's largest trade unions have called for employers and the Government to implement mandatory workplace menstrual and menopausal policies.

The 'Stop the Stigma' trade union coalition launched its position paper in Leinster House on Tuesday 24th of October, which included extensive research and a draft policy of recommended workplace policies in relation to menstruation and menopause. The briefing was hosted by Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, in her role as Chair of the Oireachtas Women’s Caucus.

You can read the paper here.

The position paper outlines the need to protect workers’ rights in this context under the Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015. The Coalition said the introduction of appropriate supports would also have a significant impact on sick leave absence rates in Ireland’s workplaces, benefiting hundreds of thousands of workers.

Speaking at the launch, ICTU Vice-President, and General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:

“With more and more women participating in the workforce, having workable menopause and menstrual policies that protect women at work have never been more urgent. There is a huge need for education and awareness training for all staff in our workplaces, and across society. The silence around women’s health issues is damaging, and it impacts equality in society and at work.

“This is very serious. The potential for women’s careers to be negatively impacted particularly by menopause needs to be eliminated, and education and awareness training are key to reducing stigma and facilitating the vital conversations women need to have at work.

“Development of workplace policies is an employer's responsibility for fostering equality and is vital for retaining skilled staff in their professions.”

The ‘Stop the Stigma coalition’s position paper says that excluding, or neglecting, to address the specific needs of individuals experiencing menopause and menstruation perpetuates gender-based discrimination, and further creates an inequitable work environment. The Employment Equality Acts of 1998-2015 mandate employer responsibility to implement protective policies for all employees.

A spokesperson for the Stop the Stigma Coalition said: “These supports and policies should not be the exception in any modern workplace, they should constitute standard practice. We are calling for modern workplace policies that reflect a modern workforce.

“We believe this is an essential requirement for workplace equality and safety, and a vital step to ensure dignity in the workplace. This really is a low-cost opportunity for employers as they compete to recruit and retain talent in a challenging labour market.”

The group also welcomed Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s announcement of research and guidance for employers and employees on menstruation and menopause in the workplace that is set to be launched early next year.

The ‘Stop the Stigma’ coalition is made up of Fórsa Trade Union, the Financial Services Union (FSU), the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU), UNITE the union, Energy Services Union (ESU) and backed by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

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

The Fórsa Skills Academy regularly runs trainings for our workplace representatives.

There are two levels: Foundational Training is for new reps, and Expanded Training is for those who already have some experience. Read on for further details and upcoming dates.

The Foundational Workplace Representative Training programme is a three-day course for newly elected workplace representatives, or those with less than 2 years representative experience and have never received Fórsa training previously (except for the Fórsa101 information session).

It covers all the basic skills and information that new representatives require to have confidence in the role and get them through their first year.

You can sign up for the Foundational training programme here.

Upcoming Foundational Training dates:

Tuesday 28th - Thursday 30th November LIMERICK

Tuesday 27th - Thursday 29th February SLIGO

Tuesday 26th - Thursday 28th March WEXFORD town (Local Trade Union Centre)

Tuesday 23rd - Thursday 25th April Woodford, Santry, DUBLIN

The Expanded Workplace Representative Training programme is open to those who have more than 2-3 years’ experience in the role of Workplace Representative and have not received any training previously.

Upcoming Expanded Training dates:

Wednesday 10th - Thursday 11th January 2024 NERNEY'S COURT, DUBLIN

Wednesday 7th - Thursday 8th February 2024 LIMERICK

Wednesday 6th - Thursday 7th March 2024 CORK

Wednesday 3rd - Thursday 4th April 2024 GALWAY

Sign up for the Expanded training programme here.

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

Fórsa members can still have their say on bullying in the workplace.

Complete this short survey to help provide the union with a more comprehensive understanding of members' experiences of bullying in the workplace or being a witness to bullying.

The survey also sets out to inform policy and procedures when raising such matters with respective employers, and is relevant to all members, including those who have not directly experienced bullying at work. Your contribution is entirely voluntary and anonymous and is in strict compliance with Fórsa's Data Protection policy.

The results of this research will help to provide objective statistical analysis to help inform our upcoming seminar, "Your Right to Dignity in the Workplace", which will take place on Thursday 16th November 2023. Details on how to attend this seminar have been circulated to branches.

The survey can be accessed HERE and will remain open until 18.00 today, Friday 3rd November.

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

Fórsa has held meetings with An Garda Síochána senior management regarding the safety of local authority library members and the threat posed by the far-right.

The union met with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris as part of a civil society delegation, alongside LGBT Ireland and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland; and with Paula Hilman, Assistant Commissioner, Roads Policing and Community Engagement.

The engagement came after Fórsa wrote to the Garda Commissioner in July, seeking an urgent meeting regarding the ongoing harassment of library workers by far-right agitators.

Since January, Fórsa members working in libraries in many parts of the country have been subjected to agitators entering libraries, harassing library workers, and attempting to remove books they deem to be “inappropriate”.

The union has repeatedly sought for local authorities to protect their employees, and in July wrote to all City and County Council managements calling for protective measures to be enacted to guard library workers from abuse and harassment in their workplace. Some City and Council managements have engaged with Fórsa on this matter, with a number responding to the union’s demands.

Head of Local Government and Local Services Richy Carrothers said that much of the union’s concerns expressed at both meetings is that the ‘soft policing' approach to far-right ‘protests’ is not working and must be changed.

Commissioner Harris acknowledged that the far-right activity emerging in recent years in Ireland is a more virulent form, which is being organised and tutored through the internet and is linked to international extremism. In reference to the suggestion of ‘soft policing’ being the official guidance on the policing of protest, the Commissioner advised that it is his intention that policing is active where there is harassment and intimidation, so that people are properly protected. More recently, a number of arrests were made in Dublin relating to far-right activity, linked to attacks on refugee centres, and the recent protest outside Leinster House.

Commissioner Harris also agreed to review the strategic guidance document on the policing of protests and will develop an action plan to be shared with the civil society representatives for their feedback.

Assistant Commissioner Hilman advised that on foot of similar issues being raised by Fórsa she is issuing a communication to all members of An Garda Síochána providing guidance on the active policing of protests.

Richy welcomed the engagement and the commitments given by both Commissioner Harris and Assistant Commissioner Hilman.

“Workers have been exposed to an unsafe workplace as these agitators freely move around libraries calling staff unimaginable slurs, all the while recording interactions and live streaming to social media. This situation intensified over the summer months after a group of agitators visited many libraries across the country on a “sovereign voyage to protect childhood”. This validated our long-held view that this was not simply a phenomenon contained to Cork City and this activity cannot be tolerated,” he said.

Fórsa is continuing to meet with hundreds of library workers who are experiencing this abuse first hand.

“We proudly represent hardworking library staff across Ireland who do integral work creating inclusive communities. We support our members, and they feel supported by their union. We won’t accept harassment of our members, but they need to see action by their employer. The solidarity shown to our members demonstrates to these groups that harassment will not be tolerated. Workers united will never be defeated,” said Richy.

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

The unanimous Supreme Court decision, delivered last month, could have very important implications for workers in the gig economy.

The Court ruled that delivery drivers working for Karshan (Midlands) Ltd - trading as Domino’s Pizza - should be treated as employees and not contractors.

The Court’s decision means the self-employed status of the Domino’s drivers is considered bogus for tax purposes. The decision marks a significant development, with implications right across the economy. Bogus self-employment is not confined to fast food delivery drivers, it has also been exposed in sectors like media, construction and aviation.

ICTU general secretary Owen Reidy said that while the implications of the decision would have to be weighed up, his initial reaction was positive: “It shouldn’t have come to this, we should have stronger legislation in the first place to guard against bogus self-employment,” he said.

Fórsa national secretary Katie Morgan is vice president of the ICTU and sits on the Determination of Employment Status working group. She welcomed the Supreme Court decision and said it will assist ICTU in the fight against bogus self-employment: “It’s not only the worker that suffers from being denied terms and conditions, but the state suffers the loss of revenue where workers should have been correctly classified.

“This ruling, in addition to recent progress on the bogus self-employment situation in RTÉ, highlights the importance of protecting workers from its exploitative use, in addition to other forms of precarious employment,” she said.

Katie said unions have asked the Government to reconvene the Determination of Employment Status working group in light of the Supreme Court decision. The group includes employer representative bodies IBEC and ISME, as well as senior ICTU officials.

She added: “We’re currently analysing the finding to determine what impact we believe it will have on employment legislation and industrial relations.”

The case against Dominos started in 2018 when the Tax Appeals Commission decided the drivers should be treated as PAYE employees rather than self-employed independent contractors. The Revenue Commissioners has said it’s carefully considering the detail and implications of the ruling.

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