Fórsa and other civil service unions have demanded a meeting with the Civil Service Management Board, which is made up of departmental secretaries-general, to seek an urgent resolution of problems with the PeoplePoint system.

Discussions over promotion sequences at executive officer level in Revenue will continue later this month. Fórsa has told management that too many open appointments are being made in some regions, including the border, the midlands, and the west.

The long-running Garda equal pay case concerning clerical officers is likely to return to a resumed hearing at the Labour Court this spring.

The Public Service Pay Commission (PSPC) says it has received a large number of submissions from unions on the issue of civil and public service recruitment and retention issues. These include submissions from Fórsa on problems in the civil service and among health and social care professionals.

The cost of childcare in Dublin is significantly higher than in other parts of the country, according to a new report by the union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI).

The ONE Galway initiative was launched last week (Thursday 15th February) with a packed house at the Mick Lally Theatre in Galway City.