Fórsa members at Barnardos have served three weeks’ notice of industrial action, and will engage in a work-to-rule action from Wednesday 25th June.
Fórsa members at Barnardos have served three weeks’ notice of industrial action, and will engage in a work-to-rule action from Wednesday 25th June. The dispute centres on Barnardos’ failure to fully implement the terms of a 2023 Workplace Relations Commission (WRC)-brokered pay agreement, and its refusal to engage with the union on the matter.
Barnardos, a state-part-funded charity providing services to vulnerable children and families, is covered by the October 2023 WRC settlement, which applies to employments in the health-funded community and voluntary sector (sections 39, 56, and 10). The agreement played a key role in averting sector-wide strike action at the time.
Fórsa official Louise O’Hara said Barnardos management claimed the funding it received - to implement the 2023 pay deal - was instead used to offset the cost of a 2022 pay uplift: “There is no provision in the 2023 agreement for employers to divert funding as reimbursement for earlier pay decisions. State funding bodies have confirmed to Fórsa that the funding is not for reimbursement,” she said.
Of the 8% payable under the 2023 agreement, only 4% has been paid. “The employer has effectively withheld the balance of state funding intended to implement the agreement, yet now claims to have fulfilled its obligations in full.
“Barnardos has refused to engage with the union, and has declined a WRC invitation to attend conciliation,” she added.
A subsequent WRC agreement, established in March and ratified by trade unions, contains a clear provision that any funding provided under the deal must be used exclusively to meet the agreed pay increases.
A Fórsa survey of Barnardos staff showed that more than 60% are considering leaving the organisation if the terms of the agreement are not fully honoured. The ballot for industrial action, completed on 7th March, was backed by more than 88% of members on a ballot turnout of 84.8%. Fórsa has about 100 members working at Barnardos.
“Audited accounts for 2023 show that Barnardos held more than €15 million in reserves, the majority of which was unrestricted funding,” Louise said. “Barnardos is a charitable organisation whose actions have imposed unnecessary financial hardship on its staff. The terms of the WRC agreement are clear. They must be honoured in full,” she said.
In the letter of notice issued on Wednesday 4th June, Fórsa national secretary Ashley Connolly said the union remains available to engage with Barnardos under the auspices of the WRC to avert the planned industrial action. The union said any escalation of the industrial action would be preceded by seven days' notice.
Following a nationwide moment of reflection by workers this week, we have launched a petition calling for the inclusion of services in the Occupied Territories Bill (OTB).
Fórsa has launched a petition this week calling for the inclusion of services in the Occupied Territories Bill. You can sign the petition here.
Fórsa’s director of campaigns, Kevin Donoghue said “The government has legal advice saying services can’t be included in the bill, but Tánaiste Simon Harris said he had ‘no issue’ with a provision in the bill banning trade in services with Israeli firms based in Palestine. It is imperative that services are included in the bill, and now is the time to make sure we make our voices heard on the issue.”
The launch of the petition follows the #StandWithPalestine action which took place on Wednesday 4th June. At 1.05pm, workers showed their support for the people of Palestine by taking a moment to reflect and remember the children who have died in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The event, an initiative of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), brought together Fórsa members and fellow trade unionists from across the movement.
Members took photos in their workplaces and posted them to social media using the hashtag #StandWithPalestine.
Speaking about the event Kevin said “We saw participation from all divisions of the union, with all kinds of workplaces, and even members working from home taking part. Churches around the country also rang their bells in a moving and solemn show of solidarity.”
The event was organised to coincide with the International United Nations Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression in remembrance of the more than 15,000 children confirmed to have died and over 34,000 injured in the twenty-one months since Israel began its brutal assault on Gaza.
More trainings ahead and a big surprise for this year's course participants.
June signals the end of the academic year, but Fórsa’s Skills Academy won’t be slowing down. The monthly Fórsa Induction and Lunch & Learn sessions will continue over the summer break. The team will also be busy organising next year’s courses; a full schedule is available here.
Applications for September courses will open beginning in the last week in June and will be advertised here, in the members’ bulletin, as well as sent directly to branches. The Skills Academy is aware of a number of employments that require up to eight weeks’ notice to secure release, which is why applications open with plenty of time to request release.
Coming up this June, the Skills Academy has a LGBTQIA+ themed Lunch & Lunch, and the exciting first ever Skills Academy Certificate Award Ceremony.
Skills Academy Certificate Award Ceremony – 2.30pm 24th June - Nerney’s Court
The first ever Skills Academy Certificate Award Ceremony will take place on Tuesday 24th June at 2.30pm, in Nerney’s Court, following the Consultative Council. This first ceremony will be for students of the Level 1 Workplace Representatives’ Training, Level 2 Workplace Representatives’ Training, Mentoring programme, and Leadership programme from the classes of 2024-2025.
It is hoped that this will become a twice-yearly event with the remainder of the certificates presented following the Consultative Council in November.
Branch officers are encouraged to support their branch colleagues and join with other students, branch reps, national officers, and Fórsa staff to celebrate their achievement and partake of some light refreshments.
If you would like to attend, please let the Skills Academy know by sending an email entitled “ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATE AWARD CEREMONY” to Judith at skillsacademy@forsa.ie
To celebrate Pride month and our LGBTQIA+ members, the June session of Lunch & Lunch will be Supporting our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. Skills Academy will be joined by guest speaker Lenn Viken (they/them), a trainer with LGBT Ireland who has engaged in queer activism, education and politics across Norway, France and Ireland for almost a decade.
In this session, you will learn about the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in Ireland at present, the importance of promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and tools to make your own workplace more inclusive. There will also be a short history of the queer rights movement in Ireland.
Lenn believes in creating an inclusive and non-judgemental environment for knowledge diffusion and discussion, so members who don’t have a clear understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues are encouraged to take part.
Watch back - Lunch & Learn 30th May - Fórsa mentoring programme
Last month’s Lunch & Learn is now available on the Skills Academy YouTube. For those who missed it, this session took a look back on the first year of Fórsa’s mentoring programme. The Skills Academy were joined by programme participants and tutors to discuss what went right, what could be improved, how participants benefitted, and what plans lie ahead for year two.
If you are interested in knowing more about the benefits of mentoring and how you and your branch can participate in this year’s programme, the video is linked here.
June is Pride month, a time to celebrate and call for continued progress for LGBTQIA+ rights.
June is Pride month, a time to celebrate and call for continued progress for LGBTQIA+ rights. Though our union has a proud history of campaigning for equality, we are firmly focused on the future. In the past year, we launched our LGBTQIA+ network, produced a print run of Kieran Rose’s publication Trade Unions and Progress for LGBT People, and most recently we had a stand at every Fórsa divisional conference. This June we have several events of interest to members, detailed below.
Trade Unions & Marriage Equality: A Labour of Love
To mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015 — and the role of the trade union movement in that campaign — an event featuring a panel discussion will take place in Connolly Hall and Cois Life Bar, Liberty Hall, on 17th June 2025, from 18:30 to 20:00.
Karl Hayden (Financial Services Union) will chair the discussion, which will feature a number of trade union and LGBTQ+ activists reflecting on the movement’s pivotal role in the referendum.
Panellists:
Seamus Dooley – National Union of Journalists (NUJ)
Ethel Buckley – SIPTU
Kieran Rose – LGPSU (precursor to Fórsa) Trade Unionist and LGBTQ+ Activist
Rachel Mathews McKay – SIPTU LGBT
Refreshments will be served, and attendance is free of charge. Early booking is advised: registration linked here.
Join us at Pride
Fórsa’s LGBTQIA+ network is inviting members to march with their union at Pride marches across Ireland this summer. Kicking off in Dublin on Saturday 28th June, we’ll also be at Trans and Intersex Pride in Dublin on Saturday 12th July, followed by Cork Pride on Sunday 3rd August, and finally Galway Pride on Saturday 16th August.
Member of the LGBTQIA+ network steering committee Danni Hickey said “While we know many members will be used to marching at Pride with friends, voluntary groups, or their employers, we want all members to know they’re welcome to stand with their union. Last year was the first time we marched at Pride with our own union banner, and we’re excited to do so again this year, right around Ireland.”
If you would like to join your union at any of the Pride marches listed above, please complete this form so that we can communicate further details with you.
Lunch & Learn with LGBT Ireland
Our Skills Academy runs a monthly Lunch & Learn for members. On Friday 27th June, the session will be focused on how to support our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. This talk will cover the history of pride and will give valuable insights into the current experiences of LGBTQIA+ people.
Participants will gain a clear understanding of LGBTQIA+ terminology and receive practical tools to help make their own workplace more inclusive, one small impactful step at a time. To top it all off, the session will conclude with a 15-minute judgement-free Q&A. This is an event you won’t want to miss this Pride month!
The training will be provided by Lenn Viken (they/them) who works as a trainer with LGBT Ireland and has been engaged in queer activism, education and politics across Norway, France and Ireland for close to a decade.
With substantial experience in community-based LGBTQIA+ education, municipal politics and public speaking, Lenn is motivated by their passion for fighting structural issues through inclusive and non-judgemental knowledge diffusion and discussion. Holding a bachelor's degree in Gender and Equality from Sciences Po Paris and currently pursuing a master's degree at Trinity College Dublin, Lenn is excited to spend the rest of their career working to promote minority rights and inclusion in Ireland and abroad.
Over a month after Fórsa members voted in favour of a pay agreement for the community and voluntary sector, a return to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) now appears imminent.
Over a month after Fórsa members voted in favour of a pay agreement for the community and voluntary sector, a return to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) now appears imminent.
The agreement was secured by unions after more than ten years of campaigning for better pay and conditions for workers in the community and voluntary sector.
Under the terms of the agreement Fórsa members working in Section 10, 39, 40 and 56 organisations would benefit from pay increases valued at 9.25% over two years, backdated to October 2024 and running to October 2026.
The agreement also acknowledges that the pay of some workers in the community and voluntary organisations has fallen behind equivalent grades in public sector organisations.
Though members of Fórsa, the INMO and SIPTU, all voted in favour of accepting the terms, and despite repeated effort by the group of unions, the funding departments have not provided a definitive date by which organisations will receive the increase in funding that will allow for pay increases.
As a result, on Thursday 5th June, the group of unions decided to request a return to the WRC.
In a letter to members they said: “While we understand that discussions on the implementation of the proposals are ongoing between the funding departments and the respective agencies, at this point, we have no definitive information on when members can expect to receive the agreed increases in pay.”
“In light of this we have asked the WRC to reconvene the parties to discuss implementation of the agreed measures, and we are awaiting confirmation of a date for a meeting.”
Head of the health and welfare division of Fórsa, Ashley Connolly said: “This agreement came after a campaign that lasted a decade. The funding departments can’t keep on dragging their feet on this, our members deserve to know when they will benefit from the changes to their pay which have been agreed.”
The health and welfare division is now preparing sectoral specific claims for members. There are over 30 bargaining units in the heath sector. Consultation with members is a central part of shaping the local bargaining claims.
A key feature of Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, local bargaining is a process that addresses collective issues specific to a grade, group or category.
Fórsa has submitted several cross sectoral claims related to public service grades, associated with civil service grades. These claims cover members working in roles in the health services in grade 3 roles, or grade 4-7 roles. You can read more about those claims here and here.
Last week the union received indications from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform that engagement on these claims will begin soon.
The health and welfare division is now preparing sectoral specific claims for members. There are over 30 bargaining units in the heath sector. Consultation with members is a central part of shaping the local bargaining claims.
Head of the health division Ashley Connolly said: “It’s really important that members shape local bargaining claims related to their grades, so that the claims really reflect issues being faced by members.” There are currently four surveys open for Fórsa members in the health and welfare division.
They are for members working in the General Manager grade, the Assistant National Director grade, the Head of Service grade, and grade 8 roles in the HSE, TUSLA and Section 38 funded organisations. After the surveys close claims will be developed using members’ feedback. Links for all open surveys are below.
A claim has been submitted for clinical engineers, and surveys will soon issue to social workers, medical physicists and dosimetrists.
Following consultation with members, claims are in preparation for the following groups: biochemists, social care workers, members working in HSE dental services, HSE environmental health officers, HSE dental surgeons, hospital pharmacist technicians, education welfare officers, and members working in therapy professions.
National secretary Linda Kelly said: “We’ve been working with national professional committees (NPCs) to develop surveys for members, which has been a great way to ensure we’re shaping claims that will have a meaningful impact for members.”
Underlining the need to move the process forwards, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said: “Local bargaining has the ability to address specific challenges and pay issues related to grades, groups and categories. We got it included in the agreement because we knew members needed a mechanism to address issues that have built up over time.”
“It’s essential that we begin formal discussion soon as implementation of local bargaining claims must begin by the 1st of September. This process was part of the Public Service Agreement negotiated last year, and it must be honoured.”
Open consultations
Are you a Fórsa member working in the General Manager grade in the HSE, TUSLA and Section 38 funded organisations? Complete this short survey.The survey will close at 5pm on Friday 13th June 2025.
Are you a Fórsa member working in the Assistant National Director grade in the HSE, TUSLA and Section 38 funded organisations? Complete this short survey.The survey will close at 5pm on Friday 13th June 2025.
Are you a Fórsa member working in the Head of Service grade in the HSE, TUSLA and Section 38 funded organisations? Complete this short survey.The survey will close at 5pm on Thursday 19th June 2025.
Are you a Fórsa member working in Grade VIII in the HSE, TUSLA and Section 38 funded organisations? Complete this short survey.The survey will close at 5pm on Thursday 19th June 2025.
Explainer video
If you’re still wondering what local bargaining all about you is can watch our new video explainer below.
Unions representing healthcare workers from across Europe are to protest the European Parliament in support of healthcare workers in Gaza who have been intentionally targeted by IDF attacks.
Unions representing healthcare workers from across Europe are to protest at the European Parliament on Thursday 19th June. The protest is in support of healthcare workers in Gaza who have been intentionally targeted by IDF attacks.
Unions unable to send representatives will be contacting their national MEPs to highlight and affirm their support for the action.
An appeal signed by the heads of more than a dozen unions from across Europe has been released ahead of the action. The appeal accuses Israel of “Using attacks on hospital and health infrastructures, massacring medical personnel on mission and blocking humanitarian aid, as a weapon to promote the deportation and annihilation of a population.”
Further to the accusation, the appeal demands the EU “take all necessary and sufficient action” to force Israel to “an immediate ceasefire” and for “the free movement and integrity of rescue and humanitarian services and personnel.”
As a first step the appeal demands the immediate suspension of the Cooperation Agreement with Israel, citing it as a necessary action if Europe, and the world, is to succeed in stopping the continued war crimes being committed by Israel.
The appeal cites the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) report which warns that half of all health services in Gaza have been reduced to partial functionality. According to the report 122 healthcare facilities have been affected, including 33 hospitals, and 180 ambulances have been destroyed.
Fórsa Head of Campaigns, Kevin Donoghue said, “Targeting healthcare workers and infrastructure is unacceptable. It is unequivocally a war crime. We stand with our colleagues across Europe in condemning Israel’s attacks on the Gaza healthcare system.”
The deadline is fast approaching for members of social care work professions to apply for CORU registration. The union is advising members not to delay and to begin the process as soon as possible.
All members of the social care work profession (including social care workers, social care leaders, deputy social care managers and social care managers) have six months left to apply to register with CORU.
The registration deadline for existing staff is the 30th of November 2025. On that date, ‘Social Care Worker’ will become a legally protected title in Ireland which means that anyone currently working as a Social Care Worker will be required to register with CORU to continue working in the profession.
National secretary with responsibility for HSCPs Linda Kelly urged members to begin the process as soon as possible, saying:
“As the trade union with national negotiating rights for all members of the social care profession, Fórsa highly recommends that members commence the process of registration now without delay.”
“We want to make sure all members are able to register so that no one’s ability to do their job is impacted. We negotiated the registration fee down from €295 to €100 to ensure that members aren’t unfairly burdened. This amount has remained stable, thanks to the union’s continued engagement with CORU.”
Depending on individual circumstances, members may be required to seek written information from third party organisations such as college transcripts, marriage certs, divorce decrees, international peace clearances, or signatures from other employers. As delivery of these documents can take time members are advised to start the registration process as soon as possible.
You can log on to the CORU website today, create an account and start your application. You can then leave the application and come back to it later. You do not have to complete the application in one sitting. The fee due upon submission of your application is €100.
Workers’ rights and access to collective bargaining should be at the centre of Ireland’s public procurement policy.
Fórsa has contributed a submission to the government’s public consultation on the first National Public Procurement Strategy for Ireland.
The union’s submission focuses on ensuring all public procurement is socially responsible, through the inclusion of mandatory selection and award criteria that would ensure workers can access collective bargaining through their trade unions.
Fórsa argued that public procurement rules must ensure that employers bidding for, or in receipt of public funds, recognise trade unions for collective bargaining purposes, engage in good faith when such engagement is initiated and have a union-negotiated collective agreement in place to receive public funds.
Government and state bodies have strong purchasing power which should be leveraged to improve living standards for workers.
Furthermore, the submission highlights the government’s ambition to increase collective bargaining coverage across the Irish labour market, in line with the objectives of the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages.
Fórsa’s research and policy officer Aisling Cusack explained that introducing regulations that require a union-negotiated collective agreement as a prerequisite for eligibility for public procurement would help advance that ambition.
She said: “Workers’ rights and access to collective bargaining should be at the centre of Ireland’s public procurement policy. The development of a new national strategy presents a timely opportunity for the state to get behind workers and promote fair pay and decent working conditions for all workers.”
“The government must move away from an approach to public procurement that focuses solely on cost. This approach, to what is effectively an outsourcing of public work, only fuels a race to the bottom, rewarding companies with the lowest bids, often at the expense of workers’ rights and union recognition.”
Aisling concluded: “There is an onus on the government to ensure that companies awarded state contracts act in the public interest, by ensuring that they respect workers’ rights, recognise trade unions for collective bargaining, and have a union-negotiated agreement in place.”
Union-led housing campaign returns with demos on 17th June in Dublin and 21st June in Cork.
Fórsa is calling on members to join the ‘Raise the Roof’ protests in Dublin and Cork this month to demand urgent government action on the deepening housing crisis.
The demonstration in Dublin will take place at 6pm Tuesday 17th June, outside the Kildare Street gate of Leinster House, while the demonstration in Cork city will take place on Saturday 21st June, beginning at 2pm at the National Monument on Grand Parade.
Fórsa will participate in both demos as a member of ‘Raise the Roof’ and is actively involved in organising the event.
The ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign consists of a broad coalition of trade unions, civil society groups, and political parties who are demanding the government stop acting as a bystander and take concerted and effective action to address the deepening housing crisis.
The government has repeatedly failed to meet its own construction targets, with the Housing Commission now estimating a shortfall of 250,000 homes and predicting the government will continue to miss construction targets by tens of thousands.
The failure to meet construction targets is leading to spiralling costs of rent and property prices. Rents now average at €2,000 across the country, and property prices have risen to almost 20% more than at the height of the Celtic Tiger.
Fórsa head of campaigns Kevin Donoghue said, “Members have repeatedly identified housing as a key concern for them. The recent local government conference saw half a dozen housing motions being brought to the floor. Lack of affordable housing is having a serious impact on people’s lives and careers.”
He continued, “Not being able to find somewhere to live can be a barrier to taking on a new job or accepting a promotion in a different location.
“Our members keep the State working. We need the government to take this crisis seriously we need a radical shift in policy, one that is focused on the provision of affordable housing for all.” he concluded.
The ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign has set out a clear set of policy demands which include:
An expanded programme of public housing on public land, led by local authorities and housing bodies to deliver affordable housing.
Ensure that at least 20% of all housing is public housing, In line with Housing Commission report.
Move to a genuinely affordable not-for-profit cost rental model.
Full restoration and expansion of the tenant-in-situ scheme.
Urgent action to tackle the tens of thousands of vacant and derelict properties.
An immediate restoration of the ban on no fault evictions and a freeze on all rent increases.
And most of all, we need a clear commitment that workers will be able to live in the communities they serve.
![By Mtaylor848 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons](/v3files/shard1/63805/f2/1753bfd44d5cb0879eaca2.jpg "By Mtaylor848 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons")
