Fórsa’s new comedy shorts bring some banter to civil service recruitment by James Redmond
The Fórsa civil service division has launched a series of four snappy comedy reels aimed squarely at younger workers. They are designed to deliver a strong, witty pro-union message in under 90 seconds.
The sketches were written in-house by a team from Fórsa’s civil service division, and feature the talents of acclaimed Irish comedian Paul Tylak, alongside a potluck cast peppered with familiar union activists and staff.
Paul Tylak was part of the wave of comics who shaped modern Irish TV humour, and his voice-over talents are nearly omnipresent across Irish TV and radio. Most recently, he played several characters in the Oscar-nominated Secret of Kells and has been the cheeky-chappy voice of Paddy Power ads. He appeared twice in Father Ted and is a core member of the legendary Dublin Comedy Improv troupe.
Watch "The Anti-Union Masterclass."
According to Fórsa official Donna Mooney, who worked on the project, the campaign originated in discussions at conference going back to 2023, with members encouraging the union to be more daring in its video output.
“We wanted to make real content; the type of things people watch on their phones every day. Unions have a duty to go where people are and believe me - they are not spending lunch breaks scrolling through PDFs or Outlook inboxes. They’re engrossed in video content across all platforms, and we have to meet them there," she said.
The creative process was a collective effort from start to finish. Lead organiser Bernie Aston also worked on the project, along with the Senior PA in the civil service division, David Moore.
David said: "The writing was all done in-house and refined as we worked through the shoots. It was a real all-hands-on-deck affair."
Bernie added that the project wasn’t just about laughs but also about reminding people what’s at stake in working life.
"Let’s not forget that this country still had a marriage bar in operation up until 1973. Nothing about the world of work should be taken for granted," she said.
"We’re in unions because we want to go forward, not backwards. Improvements to our lives are not simple things to be flittered away. We need to hold on to them and fight for more rights and freedoms for workers."
When asked if comedy sketches like this were an unusual departure for a union, head of division Éamonn Donnelly was quick to disagree.
"Not at all. The Australian unions are famous for their brilliant comedy ads. Go on YouTube! Look them up!"
For Donnelly, the project draws on a long tradition of radical communication and innovation within the labour movement.
"Do yourself a favour and head out to the Irish Labour History Museum in Beggars Bush. The trade union movement has a long and proud tradition of being media-making pioneers. Back in the day, every union had its own in-house capacity to print.
"Unions have been doing memes since before the internet. Be it in the tradition of labour ballads, posters or the humorous stickers the Wobblies used to call ‘silent agitators.’ We’ve always used media as a tool to build community and confidence among workers."
He concludes that this campaign is part of that same storytelling legacy, just in a new format.
"And that’s what unions are all about. We’re the original social media. We were building networks, sharing stories, and amplifying voices long before timelines and hashtags came along."
The division is encouraging members and supporters to help spread the message.
"Give them a like, drop a link into a WhatsApp chat, or fire them out across your socials,” implored Éamonn.
Video 1 - “The Pay Rise Problem”
In a fluorescent-lit office full of forced cheer, a manager congratulates the team on their “record efficiency” - before immediately dousing morale with the announcement that, naturally, such success means there will be no pay rises this year.
The office buzzes with confusion and self-importance as a manager declares dramatically, “This is a walkout!” He storms off to join the big protest in town - only to realise everyone else is already gone.
A pompous executive delivers a pseudo–motivational masterclass, pontificating that running a billion-euro department is like running “a billion-euro bath.” Lost in his own tedious self-congratulation, he reveals his true lesson and warns about “union Karens” who might object to jobs being replaced by apps or AI.
Video 4 - “Day in the Life: Dublin Civil Servant On Probation”
A mock “day in my life” vlog ripping into hustle culture. A young worker wakes at 6:45am but can’t make breakfast (“my lease doesn’t do kitchen access”), catches three buses to the office, and settles into a workspace where all the hot desks are taken. Fake it til’ you make it!
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