Drogheda Deputy Mayor and Louth County Council member Michelle Hall has been denied paid time off from work to undertake council duties because she is a special needs assistant (SNA). Despite the support of her school, the Department of Education and Skills has denied her paid time off, which she could avail of if she were a teacher.

Fórsa is holding a cross-parting Dáil briefing this afternoon (Wednesday) in support of the union’s ‘Support our Secretaries’ campaign and the union’s planned ballot for industrial action over the two-tier treatment of Ireland’s school secretaries.

The battle for decent work “is a defining battle of our times,” according to Michael D Higgins. Speaking at the five-yearly congress of EPSU, which took place earlier this month, the President applauded the role of trade unions in upholding the “hard-won rights of workers across Europe as we continue to face the challenges and obstacles to a fairer society.”

A long-awaited circular on a facility for the purchase and transfer of retirement benefits for members of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme has been released by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER).

Climate change is the biggest challenge facing public services, which will be at the centre of the national and international response to global warming in the coming years, according to Fórsa.

A bill aimed at safeguarding employees’ tips completed its second stage in Dáil Éireann this week. But the National Minimum Wage (Protection of Employee Tips) Bill, which has already completed all stages in the Seanad, will be blocked by the Government.