Fórsa met public health specialists last Wednesday (24^th March) to highlight the need for the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) to clarify when SNAs and other schools staff would begin to receive Covid-19 vaccinations.

The vaccination rollout has been delayed because of limited vaccine supplies. People aged over 70, and those with severe underlying medical conditions, are currently being vaccinated. The vaccination programme will then move on to other categories, including education staff, and the intention is to vaccinate many of those groups at the same time.

Fórsa continues to make representations to have schools staff prioritised for the vaccination. It has highlighted the fact that staff in special schools and classes are working alongside healthcare staff who have already been vaccinated under the rollout for HSE staff.

The union has called for SNAs to be included in the vaccine rollout for healthcare staff.

The Department of Education told the union that it had made clear to the health department that special education staff should be prioritised for vaccination, and that special education should be the priority when vaccines are rolled out to education staff.

The union was also told that NIAC is reviewing the vaccination schedule and will shortly be reporting to Government on possible changes.  Fórsa continues to make representations to NPHET and NIAC on the matter.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

A partnership of stakeholders in the technological education sector has unveiled a framework approach to underpin a limited and safe return to campuses for some students and staff later in this academic year.

Based on public health guidelines, the approach focuses on practical, studio, and laboratory-based activities essential to final year students and apprentices. It is designed to inform local discussions in individual institutes of technology and technological universities.

It has been drawn up by the POSITS forum, which brings together unions and representatives of the technological universities and institutes of technology along with the Higher Education Authority, and the higher education department.

The partnership forum was established to facilitate collaborative work to support technological universities and institutes of technology during the pandemic, particularly on plans for a limited return to campuses.

Fórsa official Stella Griffin, and Gina O’Brien, who chairs the union’s Higher Education Branch, are members of the group.

Technological education institutions are currently operating mostly online, with remote learning the primary mode of service delivery. Only the most essential and time-critical activities are taking place onsite.

The new framework aims to ensure a consistent approach to limited expansion of on-site learning over the coming month. It aims to ensure that onsite activity is managed and monitored carefully within public health guidelines.

The higher education department has also committed to revisit the guidance previously issued to institutions to ensure its consistency and alignment.

The POSITS forum, which will remain in place to assist the implementation of the new principles, also decided to invite the Union of Students in Ireland to nominate a member.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Financial reporting in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) is out of step with normally-accepted accounting practices, according the Comptroller and Auditor General (G&AG).

In a new report, which the C&AG says does not represent a criticism of staff in the boards, it found that ETB financial reports were cumbersome and difficult to understand. It largely put this down to the organisations’ dependency on legacy ICT systems.

Sixteen ETBs were created in 2013 to replace and rationalise 33 VECs. They manage a range of educational bodies including second level schools and colleges, further education colleges, community national schools and various further education centres.

Fórsa official Stella Griffin said shared payroll services are being introduced in the sector, but the planned financial shared service has not progressed.

“The report reflects an organisation which has been created with an incomplete structure and insufficient support to all but the highest-level staff. ICT systems are pretty much as they were in the VECs, and admin staff have not been encouraged to upskill or undertake the further education that the C&AG says is needed.

“Although the report only deals with financial management and reporting, these issues are reflected in various functions including HR, corporate services and ICT, and there is inconsistency in the responsibilities assigned to grades in the sector,” she said.

Fórsa has long been seeking additional staffing and an organisational design exercise for ETB grades below director level, where posts were redesigned in 2017. Discussions on the next phase of this process commenced in 2017, but management is only prepared to discuss staffing immediately below director level.

Fórsa and other ETB unions have referred the matter to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), saying that the discussions should develop a consistent approach to grading structures, roles and responsibilities across the sector. 

Stella says there’s been no progress on the development of a fit-for-purpose structure to support ETBs, which are delivering a growing number of responsibilities. “Training and upskilling opportunities are haphazard at best, and the career path from lower to higher grades is limited and unclear,” she said.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. [LINK: https://www.forsa.ie/contact/] .

Discussions on sectoral bargaining for Fórsa members in the education sector will kick off shortly. The new public service agreement, Building Momentum, establishes a ‘sectoral bargaining fund’ worth 1% of basic pay, on top of two general round pay adjustments worth 1% each.

The sectoral fund can be used to deal with outstanding adjudications, recommendations and claims relevant to specific groups of workers within the education sector. Or groups can opt to take the 1% as a straight pay increase.

The sectoral bargaining process first requires both sides to identify the different groups of grades and staff categories that will be subject to negotiations. Once these ‘sectoral bargaining units’ are agreed, work can begin on how the additional 1% of pay will be distributed through sectoral bargaining.

Fórsa’s education division is currently undertaking internal consultations about the make-up of the sectoral bargaining units.

Agreement on the shape of the sectoral bargaining groups is meant to be concluded by the end of next month. Payment of any sectoral awards is scheduled for 1^st February 2022.

Haddington Road hours

Separately, discussions are intensifying on the establishment of an independent body charged with addressing the so-called ‘Haddington Road hours,’ which were added to the working week of clerical, administrative and other staff in 2013. This is also being addressed under Building Momentum.

The body, which is to be set up by the end of this month, will take submissions from management and unions representing grades whose hours were increased under the 2013 Haddington Road deal.

It will make recommendations by the end of 2021. Rollout of these recommendations will begin within the lifetime of the agreement, with €150 million available to commence implementation during 2022.

Fórsa fought hard for the inclusion of the process in Building Momentum. As a result, workers whose hours were increased under the Haddington Road deal can expect to see reductions in working time from next year.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Fórsa will be in the Workplace Relations Commission next Wednesday (31^st March) for an engagement on its claim for enhanced SNA qualification requirements.

The union wants a relevant QQI level six qualification, or the equivalent, to be essential criteria when new SNAs are hired.

Andy Pike, who heads up the union’s Education Division, says the current minimum requirement of two junior cert passes doesn’t properly reflect the skills and expertise that SNA’s bring to the job.

Many schools already seek a level six qualification, and don’t appoint new SNAs unless they at least hold a level five QQI award.

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Workers who wish to join Fórsa can to do so using a new ‘join online’ function on the union’s website.

Going live with the new system follows several months of research, preparation and testing aimed at making it easier than ever to join the union. It also goes live as the union continues to process a large number of new membership applications, as interest in joining the union has surged since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

Fórsa’s general secretary Kevin Callinan commented: “The current crisis has created the necessity to be able to carry out our business in different ways. Work on this project had commenced before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, and its completion marks a vital step as we tackle the challenges of living in changed times.

“We can see that more people want to join a union in response to what’s happening in the wider economy. It’s vital that they can take those initial steps quickly and easily, and making the membership application process more accessible is part of that process.

“This is a crucial new venture to enable Fórsa to substantially increase our membership - and to strengthen the union’s hand - at a critical time in the union’s development,” he said.

The online facility is a streamlined and simplified membership application process, and will be the quickest and easiest way to join the union. All incoming applications will continue to be subject to check-off and approval by Fórsa branches and the national executive committee, while the new online system is designed to ease the administrative burden on branches.

You can join Fórsa online at https://join.forsa.ie/

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.