Fórsa has written to the Department of Social Protection (DSP) about press criticism of social welfare inspectors (SWIs), which appeared in the Irish Examiner recently. The articles – branded as an ‘investigation’ and based on the opinions of an academic and “a number of women” – allege that the inspectors engage in intimidation and harassment of social welfare claimants.

The union has told the DSP that, as an employer, it has a responsibility to robustly challenge the unsubstantiated allegations. It says inspectors are required to enter customers’ homes on occasion, and adds they can’t be confident that this is a safe working environment if unfounded public allegations of intimidation go unchallenged.

Fórsa official Paul Mac Sweeney said the articles were short on facts and large on opinions.

“We have advised DSP that these pieces will, unless robustly challenged by the employer, make it very difficult for inspectors to be confident that they are operating in a safe working environment and will be protected when carrying out a difficult job.

“It’s a sad day when SWI’s are collectively vilified and undermined by a national newspaper, on the basis of opinion and conjecture, when they go about their work on behalf of the State,” he said.