Fórsa is continuing to engage with management in environmental health services about the Covid-19 contact-tracing work undertaken by environmental health officers (EHOs).

EHOs are currently engaged in contact tracing work, which is crucial to stemming the spread of the virus. EHOs have been engaged in this work on a seven-day week basis for several months.

Fórsa assistant general secretary Ryan McKinney said the union continues to receive briefings from the HSE on the recruitment of contact tracers.

“This is a crucial recruitment process as it will ultimately ensure that EHOs can revert to their normal duties. This is a current priority for the union,” he said.

Ryan said the union is also currently considering management’s response to a report compiled by the EHO’s Covid-19 subgroup, and further discussions are to take place shortly. He said management has confirmed that there is currently no plan to extend the existing memorandum of understanding, through which EHOs are assessing the implementation of the Return to Work Safely protocol in food businesses, beyond December 2020.

Ryan added: “Should this change then we’ll engage in direct discussions. EHS management shares our objective of a return to core duties as soon as possible. In the meantime Fórsa is working with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to ensure no decision is taken at government level about the role of EHOs during the pandemic without proper consultation.”

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