Fórsa announced last week that the union has informed the HSE that it is officially in a trade dispute over the outsourcing of recruitment services.
Fórsa announced last week that the union has informed the HSE that it is officially in a trade dispute over the outsourcing of recruitment services.
Speaking to delegates at Fórsa’s Health and Welfare divisional conference in Galway, head of division Ashley Connolly said the union takes the matter of outsourcing extremely seriously: “We will not tolerate the privatisation of our members core work. We will not allow recruitment agencies to come in and take the work of our members, work that should go to direct employees.
“We have notified the HSE that we are in a trade dispute, and that we will be commencing a process of engagement with our members on this issue. We will take whatever steps are necessary to protect our members core work,” she said.
Delegates at the conference in Galway supported a number of motions on what the union describes as a ‘creeping’ privatisation of health services, which it said has the effect of undermining and diluting some of the HSE’s own services.
Fórsa delegate Paddy Payne tabled a motion, urging the union to urgently negotiate for in-house recruitment services, as the HSE continues to use recruitment services for clerical, administrative and Health and Social Care Professional (HSCP) posts.
Paddy, who works in the HSE’s Fair Deal office in Tullamore, said the use of private firms set a ‘dangerous’ precedent. He told delegates: “I’ve had first-hand experience of dealing with these private sector recruitment agencies. They’ve no feel for the administration of the HSE.
“They’re very difficult and inflexible to deal with, and they have a very poor knowledge of health services. The HSE should recruit more staff and in-source the recruitment function.
“If there are gaps in staffing the HSE needs to recruit staff directly. Private outsourcing has been a failure, “he said.
The Offaly branch motion described the outsourcing of recruitment to private sector recruitment firms as ‘unacceptable’, and said private companies provided an inefficient and unaccountable service to interview candidates and boards.
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Fórsa delegates at last week’s Health and Welfare conference in Galway backed an emergency motion objecting to a proposal by the Minister of State at the Department of Health on the use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund for private psychological assessments and therapies.
Fórsa delegates at last week’s Health and Welfare conference in Galway backed an emergency motion objecting to a proposal by the Minister of State at the Department of Health on the use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund for private psychological assessments and therapies.
Tabling the motion on behalf of the union’s executive, Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly said Last week’s Dáil debate, on the ongoing crisis within children’s and young people disability services, had positively addressed a number of issues, but that an ultimatum raised by Minister Anne Rabbitte potentially put children and young people at risk.
Linda said: “The minister proposed that either the HSE address and resolve these issues by August or else she would sanction the use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund so that families could buy in assessments and therapies from private providers.
“At best, the ultimatum is disingenuous, but at worst it’s entirely hazardous.
“Statutory registration for psychologists has not yet been established which means the term ‘psychologist’ is currently not a protected title, and so the current situation is open to exploitative practices.
“The broadcast of the RTÉ Investigates programme in early March revealed the problems that surface when an individual can describe themselves a psychologist and take the hard-earned cash of families to deliver sub-par assessments, with no assurance that a practitioner is even qualified to complete them at all.
“The Minister’s proposal risks driving more staff from public service jobs into private sector provision, continuing a downward spiral of diminishing resources and services, in an area where there are already 700 vacant posts.
“Those who will suffer the most are those that need the service most. The minister and the HSE need to listen to staff and to take their concerns seriously. We know there are issues with clinical governance and service delivery.
All of the answers to these issues are within the power of the HSE and the minister to address if they actually want to solve the problem,” she said.
Linda said paying private practitioners in this context represents “a real attack on the provision of public services” And said the union will will defend public services and ensure they’re delivered by publicly employed professionals.
She added: “The Dáil debate yesterday called for a workforce plan, increased accountability from the HSE in regard disability services, improvements in social protection payments, pay parity for staff in community and voluntary organisations and a national autism strategy.
These are all essential and welcome suggestions.
“Fórsa will seek an immediate engagement with Minister Rabbitte and will vigorously oppose any attempt to outsource our members’ work. We will also continue to promote and protect the provision of publicly funded disability services for children and young people,” she said.
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Fórsa has said there needs to be a strong engagement with the HSE to ensure the detail of any 7-day work pattern arrangement is fully understood.
Fórsa has said there needs to be a strong engagement with the HSE to ensure the detail of any 7-day work pattern arrangement is fully understood.
The union’s head of Health and Welfare, Ashley Connolly, was responding to comments by HSE CEO Bernard Gloster last week.
Gloster, in his address to Fórsa Health and Welfare delegates in Galway, said the HSE wants to avoid overcrowding in hospitals, and that staff were being asked to volunteer for the weekend shift in return for overtime payments or days in lieu. He added that he is seeking to introduce a “permanent” new seven-day working roster for hospital staff.
Responding to his comments, Ashley said Fórsa members would need to understand precisely what’s been asked of them, what any rostering would look like, and the degree to which current work patterns might change, and who it would affect.
Ashley emphasised that any move to implement these measures can’t be rushed and real consultation is essential: “Any proposed changes to work practices would have to be subject to detailed discussions.
“There is a lot of fear around one-liners being announced with no real detail around how proposals would operate. We will need extensive engagement, this can't just be something that’s rushed.
“Fórsa members have demonstrated a willingness to put their shoulders to the wheel and don’t shy away from reform. But the union expects its voice would be heard and listened to," she said.
Ashley added that there had already been a succession of requests this year to work additional or different hours and said Fórsa had no issue with that as long as people had a choice: “Beyond that, the union would engage on any proposed reforms,” she said.
Audio
Fórsa’s head of Health and Welfare Ashley Connolly spoke to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme on Friday 26th May. She told presenter Áine Lalor that more consultation is needed to change hospital working practices at weekends. Listen back HERE.
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Fórsa has criticised the excessive use of external management consultants in public health settings, including hospitals, as media reports this week revealed that the HSE has spent at least €8.8m on private management consultants in the first three months of this year.
Fórsa has criticised the excessive use of external management consultants in public health settings, including hospitals, as media reports this week revealed that the HSE has spent at least €8.8m on private management consultants in the first three months of this year
In her conference speech response to the health minister last week, head of division Ashley Connolly said the continued reliance by the Department of Health and the HSE on external private consultants must stop.
She told the minister that profit-driven organisations are tendering for vital services and “stalking the public purse for private opportunities.”
Ashley added: “It’s completely unacceptable to see upwards of hundreds of thousands of euro being spent on external consultants, rather than investing in your own employees.
“There is also a completely unacceptable over-reliance of agency staff throughout the HSE. This drives up costs and devalues the experience and morale of directly employed staff,” she said.
Ashley called on the minister to ensure there’s a full audit of the use of external private consultants, and to ensure the money is used more effectively. She added that the effective use of funds meant investment in infrastructure, patient services and staff.
Investment
Ashley told the minister that the Department of Health and the HSE - largest employer in the state - are both failing as a would-be ‘first class employer’ because neither has any mechanism to provide a funded scheme for continuing professional development or lifelong learning for Fórsa members.
Ashley added: “By failing to do so the employers are squandering their greatest resource, their employees.
“If you invest in your staff you not only boost morale and efficiency, but you also prepare them for greater responsibility within the organisation. You build capacity, you grow, you promote excellence. Sadly, that’s not the HSE way,” she said.
Ashley told the minster that health staff carry the corporate knowledge, skill and experience to deliver positive health outcomes: “They are the beating heart of our health services. Their employer should be investing in them, building internal capacity and strength, instead of looking to external providers,” she said.
Ashley concluded: “It’s very clearly contained within the program of government the delivery of a universal health service accessible to all – but a real concern for our members, one expressed over the last few days, is the risk of privatisation.
“Let me send a very clear message today – we won’t sit back and allow health privatisation by stealth,” she said.
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The Housing Commission is calling on young people aged 18-39 to participate in a survey designed to gain insight into the experience of purchasing and renting accommodation in Ireland.
The Housing Commission is calling on young people aged 18-39 to participate in a survey designed to gain insight into the experience of purchasing and renting accommodation in Ireland.
Established last year in line with the Government programme, Housing For All, The Housing Commission is responsible for conducting independent evaluations of the housing system in Ireland, like issues of tenure, standards, sustainability, and quality of life issues related to the provision of housing.
The survey, designed and carried out by The Housing Commission, contains a series of multiple-choice questions that record both demographic and income information. All submissions are anonymous and confidential, with no response linked back to a particular individual or organisation.
As an active union in the fight for more and better housing opportunity, Fórsa is encouraging members aged between 18 -39 to complete the survey no later than the 9th of June 2023.
Fórsa’s Global Solidarity Autumn School will take place on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th November in Nerney’s Court, Dublin.
The school will provide a unique opportunity for interested members to discuss a range of international, trade union and human rights issues.
Delegates will hear about projects that Fórsa actively fund across the world, and it will also be an opportunity to hear about the union’s global solidarity work.
More information on the event will be circulated to branches in the coming weeks. In the meantime, members can contact internationalsolidarity@forsa.ie if they have queries.
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Fórsa strongly condemns the recent attacks and threats against asylum seekers across the country, and stands in solidarity with refugees, international protection applicants and their representative organisations.
The recent disturbing sights of groups of people blocking roads and burning down encampment sites has been a troubling development, and the targeting and abuse of those outside the International Protection Office on Mount Street in Dublin is further evidence of attacks by the far right and their supporters on vulnerable individuals seeking safety and refuge.
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has already raised concerns about the issue of homelessness among international protection applicants in Ireland and said the State may not be meeting the minimum requirements under European law.
Fórsa General Secretary, Kevin Callinan condemned the attacks and said that the best way to defeat the far right is by delivering decent work, wages, rights, public services, and homes for all.
“The trade union movement stands with refugees and international protection applicants and their representative organisations. We will continue to build solidarity between working people of all backgrounds and to work towards ensuring that the messages of the far right never gain mainstream traction in our unions, communities, and workplaces”.
The Irish Congress of Trade Union has also supported calls by the Irish Refugee Council for asylum seekers without accommodation to be brought off the streets immediately and placed in temporary accommodation to ensure their safety.
ICTU called on Government to urgently address the failures in our international protection system and work with communities in providing a supportive environment for those seeking protection.
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New research published by the European Confederation of Trade Unions (ETUC) claims that low pay is exacerbating Europe's labour shortages, and employers should offer better-paid jobs to address the issue.
A recent analysis of job vacancy rates and wages in twenty-two EU countries shows that industries hardest hit by labour shortages pay an average of 9% less than those who find it easier to recruit. This trend has caused production problems for a quarter of EU companies after the EU job vacancy rate reached a new high last year.
Although a lack of skills is often blamed for labour shortages, the new analysis of EU data shows that low pay is one of the main drivers. The ETUC's research institute, the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), reveals a clear connection between low wages and high vacancy rates.
General Secretary of Fórsa, Kevin Callinan said that low-pay and the impact of inflation on living standards is causing a cost-of-living crisis across Europe:
“This research has shown that there is a correlation between low wages and labour shortages. Ireland’s social wage is very low by comparison to other modern EU countries. Our public service employment is also completely out of step with our EU partners. Increased wages and cost of living supports will continue to be the focus for Fórsa as we progress with public service pay talks to ensure we remain at close to full employment.”
In thirteen out of twenty-two EU member states, the industries that experienced the most significant labour shortages between 2019 and 2022 also offered the lowest wages. The countries with the most significant pay gaps between sectors with the highest and lowest increases in labour shortages were Italy (€4.17 an hour), Luxembourg (€4.16), Germany (€3.26), the Netherlands (€2.49), and Greece (€1.51).
The ETUC Congress recently called on national governments to extend their support to unions to increase the proportion of workers covered by collective bargaining in a bid to raise pay rates and eliminate low pay contributing to Europe's labour shortage.
Speaking at their four-yearly Congress, ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch said:
“Decent pay is good for workers, good for employers, and good for Europe. Low pay is fuelling the cost-of-living crisis, while labour shortages are harming Europe’s economic performance and public services. It’s clear from this data that low pay is one of the main factors driving Europe’s recruitment challenges.
There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.
KennCo Insurance offer Fórsa members a special discount on their travel insurance.
Our low cost Annual Multi-Trip cover costs just €64.90 (effective 1/1/23) for Fórsa members which includes cover for your spouse/partner and dependent children.*
This Fórsa member offer covers individuals, couples and families with Travel Insurance to protect your holiday.
*Dependent children up to and including 17 years old only or if still in full time education up to and including 22 years old. Applies to individuals 70 years and under only. You must be living with your partner for at least 6 months. Terms and conditions will apply.
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Fórsa members can now save 50% on their AA Roadside Rescue plan, through a new and exclusive union negotiated scheme.
This new AA Roadside Rescue offer provides for 24/7 roadside breakdown assistance in Ireland and the UK for just €6 a month, and will provide cover whether driving or as a passenger.
This new offer can be accessed exclusively through this portal.
