Fórsa trade union has welcomed the introduction of the Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill 2025, tabled in the Seanad this week by Senator Laura Harmon. The union has described the bill as a “necessary and proportionate response” to the growing incidence of workplace injury, experienced by teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs), across the education system. 

The Bill would place clear statutory standards on any assault or injury leave scheme operated by the Minister for Education and Youth, replacing uncertainty and inconsistency with negotiated, transparent and enforceable protections for staff injured in the course of their work. 

Fórsa said education workers, particularly those supporting students with additional and complex needs, face well-established risks of physical and psychological injury. When injuries occur, workers must be able to access timely paid leave, medical support and appropriate workplace protections without financial penalty or procedural barriers. 

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said the union welcomed the Bill’s requirement that any leave-for-injuries scheme be negotiated with the recognised trade unions: “This, in addition to provisions for immediate financial assistance, medically certified paid leave, access to specialist and psychological supports, and early retirement in cases of long-term or permanent incapacity, satisfies the provisions we’ve sought now for several years.  

“It’s a solid piece of legislation designed to address a real and sustained problem in the education work environment,” he said. 

Andy also highlighted the importance of the Bill’s non-discrimination provisions, ensuring parity of entitlements for teachers and special needs assistants, and its clear articulation of schools’ obligations under health and safety legislation following an injury at work. 

Andy added: “Assault and injury are workplace hazards in education, not exceptional events. Staff who are injured while doing their jobs should not be left in limbo or forced to exhaust sick leave while recovery and investigations are ongoing.  

“Oireachtas support for the Bill would aid its timely enactment. Statutory clarity is essential to maintaining safe schools, and retaining experienced staff in frontline education roles. This Bill sets a fair baseline and reinforces the principle that protections must be negotiated, not discretionary,” he said. 

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