Employers urged to act on cross-border travel
by Bernard Harbor
 
The union’s north-east official, Eimear Ryan, urged Fórsa members to contact the union if they have concerns. "Throughout the pandemic Fórsa has worked to ensure members can abide by the necessary restrictions without conflict at work," said Eimear.
The union’s north-east official, Eimear Ryan, urged Fórsa members to contact the union if they have concerns. "Throughout the pandemic Fórsa has worked to ensure members can abide by the necessary restrictions without conflict at work," said Eimear.

Fórsa has urged employers on both sides of the northern border to facilitate flexible working arrangements – including remote working – for staff who commute to work in different jurisdictions on the island of Ireland. The union has also appealed to managers to minimise demands on staff to cross the border for work-related meetings.

 

The move comes after the chief medical officers for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland last week called on people to avoid all unnecessary travel across the border.

 

In a joint statement, Dr Ronan Glynn and Dr Michael McBride also recommended that employers on both sides of the border “make every effort to facilitate employees to work from home in so far as is possible.”

 

The intervention came on foot of large numbers of new Covid-19 cases in Donegal, Derry, Strabane and Fermanagh.

 

Fórsa officials say a number of employers, including the children and families agency Tusla, have been responsible and proactive. But this approach hasn’t been universal.

 

Donegal was put at ‘level three’ under the Government’s new framework for living with Covid-19 last week. This places additional restrictions on travel, work, public transport and assembly – including a recommendation not to leave the county unless it’s essential to do so.

 

Under phase three of the framework, employees must “work from home unless [it’s] absolutely necessary to attend in person.” This compares to a softer exhortation to work at home “if possible” under phases one and two.

 

Fórsa’s north-west official, Michelle Connaughton, said hundreds of workers would normally cross the Donegal-Derry border for work each day.

 

“Our priority is to protect staff and service users, and to do everything necessary to stop the spread of the virus. We need managers on both sides of the border to show leadership and give clarity to their staff, who should not be expected to travel across the border for work purposes unless it’s absolutely essential and unavoidable,” he said.

 

The union’s north-east official, Eimear Ryan, urged Fórsa members to contact the union if they have concerns. “Throughout the pandemic Fórsa has worked to ensure members can abide by the necessary restrictions without conflict at work. If you’re in doubt, the best way to get advice is through the ‘contact us’ icon on the union website – forsa.ie,” she said.

 

Health authorities in the Republic and the north say they are working closely to address the rising trend in case numbers on both sides of the border.

 

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