SNA allocations for all mainstream classes have been frozen for the next school year, while new and developing schools have received new SNA allocations.

Mainstream schools had the opportunity to apply for additional posts by the end of May, decisions on those applications will be communicated by the end of June.

Following an analysis of allocations in special education classes, Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said the union has discovered that more than 70 posts were either lost or fragmented in primary schools: “The allocations added close to 500 new SNA posts to the sector, which is a net gain of approximately 425 posts in special classes,” he said.

Andy said 40 posts were either lost or fragmented across 37 schools in post-primary schools. He said the allocations added nearly 180 new SNA posts to the sector, a net gain of 138 new SNA posts.

Overall, the union found that the allocation to special classes resulted in 120 SNA posts either being lost or fragmented with loss of hours, while 460 new posts were added to the allocations for the next school year.

“This suggests that the level of job fragmentation and redundancies will be much lower this coming year due to the freeze on mainstream allocations, but problems still exist within special classes and special schools,” he said.

He said Fórsa maintains that the Department of Education and Skills (DES) should now undertake to secure SNA allocations in special schools and special classes in the same way as mainstream classes. “The NCSE review recommends increasing the baseline allocation for special settings considerably, and we believe that this must be done for the next full allocation process for the school year 2021/22.

“With increasing job security available in mainstream classes we anticipate retention difficulties in future years if staff seek to move into the more secure employment provided for in mainstream classes. Fórsa believes all classes should be treated equally in respect of SNA allocations and job security,” he said.

Separately, Fórsa has written to the DES requesting a review of allocations to Early Intervention Classes due to the difficulties in obtaining student assessments due to Covid-19. Andy added: “We believe that new students will enrol in these classes September and current allocations should be frozen.”

Read Fórsa’s advice on returning to your workplace HERE. 

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.

Fórsa and other unions have insisted that workers’ safety cannot be compromised as thousands of people return to workplaces under the Government’s ‘roadmap for reopening society and business’.

Last week, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) echoed Fórsa’s warning that employers must abide by the national protocol agreed between government, unions and employers, which outlines the steps required to ensure a safe workplace as restrictions are relaxed.

The second phase of the easing of coronavirus restrictions got underway on Monday of this week (8th June). This triggered a phased return to workplaces for many staff who can “constantly” maintain two metres of social distancing.

However, the Government’s ‘roadmap’ says remote working should be maintained “for all workers and businesses that can do so.”

ICTU general secretary Patricia King said: “It is crucial that we ensure the re-opening of the economy is done in a safe manner and in line with public health guidance. We cannot cut corners and compromise on workplace safety.”

Meanwhile, in a written submission to an Oireachtas special committee on Covid-19, Fórsa acknowledged the emerging tensions between public health requirements and the desire for a rapid return to commerce, trade and work.

But it said that, “if unsupported by public health expertise,” a bias towards the latter would be self-defeating in terms of jobs and business.

“The consistent implementation of the ‘return to work safety protocol,’ agreed between the Government, unions, and employer representatives through the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF), must underpin the safe return to work, and ongoing workplace safety, in all sectors,” it said.

The union also warned that continued restrictions on childcare provision and public transport capacity, which remain in place during the current three-week ‘roadmap’ phase, could hamper the return to workplaces for many.

See also ‘Staff confidence in safety steps required’. 

Read Fórsa’s advice on a safe return to workplaces HERE. 

Wednesday week (28th June) will see the launch of a series of ‘wellness’ webinars for Fórsa members.

Produced in association with Cornmarket, the broadcasts aim to help and inform union members on some of the challenging issues that have arisen for working families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hosted by TV broadcaster Karen Foster and rugby pundit and psychotherapist Brent Pope, the series of five free broadcasts will feature renowned experts speaking – and taking questions – on a range of topics including parenting in a pandemic, resilience, minding your money, and more.

The programmes are informed by the results of a recent survey that Cornmarket conducted among Fórsa members.

Registration details and further information on the first session will be revealed in next week’s Fórsa members’ ebulletin. So keep your eyes peeled.

SNA Covid-19 reassignments to HSE

The HSE continues to contact SNAs to discuss allocating staff to students. The number of students linked with an SNA through the HSE process is now just over 600. Many more students are receiving support from their SNA through their school. This reassignment process will cease at the end of the school year.

Summer Educational Programme (July provision)

The Minister for Education and Skills announced on Wednesday (10th June) that the usual July provision would be expanded this year to include students with Down Syndrome and other students at greatest risk of regression due to the school closures.

Last year some 10,000 students in over 250 schools participated in the programme, with some 1,500 SNAs volunteering to work in July. The Cabinet will shortly approve the outline of an expanded programme for this year involving HSE staff providing therapy services within schools.

Fórsa has made clear that there are several key issues requiring clarification before this new programme commences, including guidance to schools on maintaining health and safety in respect of the risks posed by Covid-19.

Head of education Andy Pike said: “This guidance must be issued before any summer programme commences and we have highlighted the need for staff training in this area prior before the new service commences. Fórsa will be encouraging members to volunteer to work within the new summer programme on the basis that adequate health and safety measures are in place within each participating school.”

SNA surveys

Fórsa will be inviting SNA members to complete two important surveys in the coming weeks. The first will seek to collect information on the proportion of SNAs who were working with students remotely, through their own schools, during the period when schools were closed.

It will be important for the union to be able to communicate the extent to which SNAs were engaged in this work with SEN students, especially in the light of the small numbers of SNAs assigned through the HSE process.

The second survey will collect information on the proportion of SNAs who would be willing to work within the new summer educational programme (the new July provision) if their school was to participate.

We will circulate information on the new voluntary summer programme next week along with the survey. We encourage all our SNA members to take part in the surveys.

Read Fórsa’s advice on returning to your workplace HERE.

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.

Fórsa has asked the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to develop a business case to determine the number of additional directly-employed inspectors it will need to ensure compliance with the ‘return to work’ safely measures agreed between unions, employers and the Government.

The Oireachtas Covid-19 Committee was told on Tuesday (9th June) that more than 500 inspectors have been assigned to the HSA to ensure compliance with the agreed protocol. But Fórsa says the HSA should be employing more of its own inspectors in light of the scale of the task ahead.

A survey of health and safety professionals, published last week by Industrial Relations News (IRN), found that 57% lack confidence in the Health and Safety Authority’s ability to oversee the protocol. IRN editor Brian Sheehan noted: “The high level of pessimism can be attributed to concern around the lack of adequate resources, both financial and human, available to the Authority.”

Fórsa official Ashley Connolly said the union shares these concerns: “Our expectation is that Covid-19-related work will use up considerable capacity beyond the phased easing of the restrictions that have been in place.

“While we anticipate greater capacity is needed, we have asked management to determine the medium-to-long term requirements now, rather than falling behind and being forced to make the case retrospectively.

“This has been further necessitated by the increased pace at which we’re now moving through the phases of easing the Covid-19 restrictions and getting people back to work,” she said.

Read Fórsa’s advice on returning to your workplace HERE. 

Fórsa has urged employers to ensure that line managers give proper support to staff who have to work remotely because of public health concerns.

Even as the Government accelerated its ‘back to work’ programme earlier this week, official advice still says people should be working from home whenever possible.

Three months into the lockdown, this has put immense strains on thousands of workers, with a recent Fórsa survey revealing that that 80% of Fórsa members had felt anxious or nervous as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

In a recent guidance note, Fórsa insisted that employers were obliged to maintain regular and meaningful contact with staff working away from the workplace.

“Remote working shouldn’t become too remote. It’s important to have good communications with your line manager in order to maintain clarity about what’s expected of you, get feedback about your work, and discuss any difficulties or queries that arise,” it said

It’s also important that staff get updates on work-related issues that they’d normally expect to get in the workplace.

The Fórsa advice, Working at home: Staying safe, connected, healthy and productive, says employers should:

· Arrange regular contacts with their staff (these should include phone or video calls – not just emails)

· Give clear instructions and feedback on work

· Give regular updates on what’s happening and planned in the organisation, including plans for ongoing remote working or returning to work

· Advise their staff to make immediate contact if they have an accident at work or if work equipment is faulty or needs maintenance, and

· Have emergency contacts and procedures in place.

In a submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on the Covid-19 response, last week, the union also said employers must start planning – and seeking agreement – if they wanted to maintain some or all of their remote working arrangements.

“Employers now have a responsibility to engage with staff representatives to foster an agreed approach to the organisation of working time and location that can accommodate the various circumstances and concerns of their staff,” it said.

The union also said that a national public policy response could be needed. “There may emerge a need for stronger statutory and regulatory safeguards, as the expansion of remote working could otherwise be accompanied by an increase in the insecurity and exploitation associated with the ‘gig’ economy,” it argued.

More than a third of workers in Ireland were working remotely at the peak of the public health crisis. The Government’s ‘roadmap for reopening society and business’ is clear that many workers will continue to work remotely for some time.

Read the Fórsa guidance HERE. 

If you have questions or concerns about your own situation, you can contact Fórsa HERE. 

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.

Increases in average weekly earnings in the public service continued to lag behind the private sector in the first quarter of 2020, although the impact of Covid-19 on private sector pay barely registered in the three months between January and end-March.

New figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) this week showed that earnings grew by 4% in the private sector between January and March, comparted to 3.3% in the public sector.

Public sector figures include semi-state organisations in this CSO survey.

The CSO also released stats on changes in weekly earnings in the five years between 2015 and 2020. These showed increases in all sectors, but they were lower than average in the sectors where civil and public servants are concentrated.

The average increase over the five years was 14.4%, which compares to 4% in public administration and defence, 8.2% in education and 14.2% in health.

The figures don’t capture the public service pay cuts that occurred between 2010 and 2013 or the pension levy, which was imposed in 2009.

The largest increases in earnings in the 2015-2020 period were in administration and support (almost 28%), information and communications (over 20%), accommodation and food (over 19%), and finance and real estate (18%).

The CSO cautioned that the coronavirus crisis had limited the ability of some employers to submit the usual data for the survey.

It also noted that Government measures put in place in response to Covid-19 were only in place for two weeks of the three months under review. There is little doubt that the impact of the pandemic on Irish earnings will be evident when figures on the second quarter (April-June) of 2020 are published.

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.

Music organisations around Ireland have invited every person in the nation to participate in a special performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (Óid don Lúcháire), in a tribute to our essential workers.

The event takes place on European Music Day, Sunday 21st June, and everyone is encouraged to perform on their doorstep or in a public space while maintaining safe physical distancing.

The event will commence with Ireland’s finest musicians and singers performing the much-loved piece by Beethoven on the steps of the National Concert Hall at 6pm. This will be livestreamed and, at the conclusion of this special performance, the public is invited to perform their own tribute version to essential workers.

Catherine Ann Cullen, Poetry Ireland’s Poet in Residence, has written new lyrics to accompany Beethoven’s piece for this special tribute.

The invitation calls for people across all age groups to get involved and perform in whatever genre of music they prefer, whether it be classical, jazz, pop or hip-hop.

Fórsa members are also encouraged to take part in the event to thank and pay tribute to all essential workers, including the health staff, firefighters, social care workers and social protection staff working in higher risk areas for most part of the crisis.

You can also share your performance and watch others on social media using the hashtag #OdeToJoyIE. It is expected that over 600,000 musicians from all over the country will take part.

Be inspired

Check out this very special public performance of Ode to Joy, filmed last year in the Spanish city of Sabadell, HERE. More information on the event, along with the sheet music here and lyrics to help prepare for it can be found here.

Read Fórsa’s advice on returning to your workplace HERE. 

Fórsa has published new advice for workers who will be working remotely in the medium or long-term.

The guidance was produced as the Government’s recently-announced ‘roadmap for reopening society and business’, made it clear that many public servants and others will continue to work from home for some time.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the working circumstances of almost half of Ireland’s workers, with more than a third now working from home. This extended period of remote working is a new experience for most.

While some have now established a productive and rewarding remote working routine, it can be a struggle at times.

Working at home: Staying safe, connected, healthy and productive contains advice on health and safety, setting up a workspace, breaks, staying in touch with managers and colleagues, and balancing work with home life and childcare.

The guide also contains useful tips on data protection, cybersecurity, and safeguarding your mental health.

Róisín McKane of Fórsa’s Communications Unit drafted the guidance. “Many union members could be working remotely for longer than they ever expected. This information will help them to navigate home working for an extended period.

“You may be out of the workplace, but you can still rely on certain legal protections, and you should look to your employer for the supports you need to do your job safely and well,” she said.

Read the Fórsa guidance HERE. 

If you have questions or concerns about your own situation, you can contact Fórsa HERE. 

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.

The five lucky winners of €50 One4All vouchers from the draw of participants in our recent survey of members are Joanne O’Grady, Mayo Health and Local Government branch; Karol Downey, Revenue Executive Grades branch; Eoin Kirwin, Business Enterprise and Innovation Executive Grades branch; Niamh Geary, Cork Revenue Clerical branch; and Mary Hickey, SNAs South Dublin South Leinster branch.

The survey was carried out by Cornmarket on behalf of Fórsa. Its results will help inform a new wellness programme currently being developed for Fórsa members and their families. The initiative is designed to help Fórsa members cope with the increased strain on mental health due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The survey found that 80% of Fórsa members had felt anxious or nervous as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. Over 70% reported problems with sleeping, while more than half said either they or a family member had experienced depression or a related condition as a result of the pandemic.

The results reflect the stress of a period when thousands of Fórsa members have stepped-up to serve in high-risk frontline environments, with many more having to rapidly adjust to remote working.

A significant number have also grappled with reduced pay, lay-offs, and insecurity about their jobs.

When asked to name their top five concerns, half of respondents cited mental health and 45% mentioned physical health. Some 29% of us are concerned about our weight and appearance, while almost a quarter (24%) are worried about money. Some 23% expressed unease about parenting.

Other concerns included juggling childcare and home-schooling with remote working, redeployment concerns, and poor support from the workplace.

Both Fórsa and Cornmarket, the administrators of two union salary protection schemes, are grateful to all who participated in the consultation.

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/