Articles A
Dublin workers face tighter restrictions
by Bernard Harbor
 

Employees in Dublin will face enhanced work-related restrictions if the Government puts the capital at ‘phase three’ of its new framework for living with Covid-19.


Employees in Dublin will face enhanced work-related restrictions if the Government puts the capital at ‘phase three’ of its new framework for living with Covid-19.

 

The framework, Resilience and recovery 2020-2021: Plan for living with Covid-19, sets out what is permitted at each of five levels of response.

 

Launching the new six-month plan earlier this week, the Government said the country was at phase two. But it outlined additional restrictions for Dublin where the numbers of confirmed cases continue to rise steadily. There were strong indications that the capital would be put on phase three by the weekend.

 

Under phase three of the framework, which gives specific guidance in a number of areas, 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.

 

Phase three also carries tougher restrictions on travel, saying that people should not leave the county, and that public transport will be reserved for essential workers and essential purposes.

 

Face masks remain mandatory on public transport in all phases, while capacity restrictions remain at 50% in phases one, two and three. The framework advises everyone to walk or cycle if possible.

 

Phase three would also see tighter restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings, sports and leisure activities – including the closure of indoor museums, galleries and cultural facilities. Libraries would be restricted to e-services and ‘call and collect’ regimes.

 

The framework prioritises keeping schools, early learning and childcare services open, with protective measures in place. Only under phase five does it envisage further restrictions, which would be determined by “the precise situation and evidence at the time.”

 

Aside from work and transport, the areas of specific guidance in the framework include social and family gatherings, organised indoor and outdoor, gatherings, retail, exercise and sport, religious services, museums and galleries, bars and restaurants, hotels, outdoor playground and those aged over 70 or medically vulnerable.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

 

CE supervisors campaign on pensions
by Hazel Gavigan
 

Community Employment (CE) Supervisors have united in a digital campaign, highlighting the failure of successive governments to address their 12-year old pension claim. 


Community Employment (CE) Supervisors have united in a digital campaign, highlighting the failure of successive governments to address their 12-year old pension claim. 

 

‘Unfinished business: Don’t ignore community services’ is calling on the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green party administration to take action, and implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation, which ruled that CE Supervisors are entitled to an occupational pension.  

 

This leg of the long-standing campaign includes a video, featuring Fórsa members telling their story. It illustrates how this injustice has affected their lives, and the lives of CE Supervisors around the country. 

 

Over a thousand workers, many retired or approaching retirement, are suffering hardship because of successive governments’ failure to implement the Labour Court’s recommendation. 

 

Expressing his frustration of over the decade long wait, Chair of Fórsa’s CE Supervisor branch, Ian Thomas, said the work they do is not properly valued or treated with the deserved respect.  

 

“We are carrying out work on behalf of the government, carrying out government policies, we’re implementing a government work programme. In essence we are civil servants, but we don’t have the same benefits,” he said. 

 

Addressing a rally staged by hundreds of CE Supervisors and Section 39 workers last February, Fórsa general secretary, Kevin Callinan said, “A state that fails to take responsibility for the delivery of key services, is an irresponsible state. A state that fails to treat the workers providing those key services fairly, is an unjust state. A state that cuts these services, often to the weakest in our society, is a sick state.” 

 

Kevin continued by highlighting the costs associated with these claims, saying it would reflect well on the new administration to quickly deal with the unfinished business of CE Supervisors.  

 

“The cost of implementing the 2008 Labour Court recommendation is around €31 million, and a modest employer pension contribution would cost just €3.5 million a year,” he explained. 

 

Health services

 

Another cohort of workers suffering injustice under the Unfinished Business umbrella are those in Section 39 agencies. While these workers provide a range of crucial public services to communities, they are not employed under public service terms and conditions, and many are still waiting for pay restoration from cuts endured during the last recession.  

 

Fórsa official, Catherine Keogh, said the sector is characterised by high staff turnover because of the lack of movement on pay, as staff move on to better opportunities elsewhere. 

 

“This creates uncertainty and delay for service users, which we want to avoid at all costs,” she said. 

 

Throughout the pandemic, Section 39 workers in Dublin’s homelessness and drug support facilities outperformed predicted best-case scenarios for Covid-19 mortality rates among the homeless and drug using populations.

 

Fórsa official, Seán McElhinney, said that these workers consistently go above and beyond the call of duty to protect service users.  

 

“Section 39 workers were overworked and underpaid in comparison to their HSE counterparts before the crisis, and the pandemic has only served to exacerbate that inequality,” he said. 

 

Many Section 39 workers were also redeployed during the Covid response, including chair of Fórsa’s boards and voluntary agencies branch, Helen Canning. 

 

“I was sent into Bridge House, which is an isolation unit for people in Direct Provision who are Covid positive. 

 

“Our members, myself included, are 13 years with a pay freeze and the services haven’t decreased. I don’t know what more they want from us?” Helen concluded.  

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

 

 

Leonard campaigns for An Post role
by Niall Shanahan
 

Fórsa member Leonard Shiels (pictured) is the union’s candidate for the forthcoming Worker Director election in An Post.

 


Fórsa member Leonard Shiels (pictured) is the union’s candidate for the forthcoming Worker Director election in An Post.

 

The role of worker director ensures the voice of workers is heard and represented at the board of directors of An Post. A committed trade union activist, Leonard is now actively campaigning for the votes of his work colleagues in An Post.

 

Leonard is a business support officer with An Post, based at the GPO in Dublin, and has worked for the company for 20 years. Leonard has also been an officer on the An Post Fórsa branch committee for a number of years. In that time he’s been involved in a number of negotiations with An Post management, and has extensive experience in HR. Leonard is also on Fórsa’s Services and Enterprises divisional executive.

 

He said he's running for the post of worker director with An Post because of the need for vigilance on behalf of workers in a rapidly changing work environment: “I’m proud to work in An Post, and I work with some great people. The company is changing and evolving rapidly, so we need to be vigilant and mindful of the impact of those changes on workers.

 

“New voices, fresh ideas and different perspectives are needed at board level to help positively influence the future direction of An Post. The worker director role provides a unique opportunity for ordinary workers to have our say, while being able to interrogate the major changes which we continue to encounter.

 

“I believe it’s important that full engagement with the company occurs on these significant issues, particularly in the exceptional times we now live in. I will endeavour to represent workers best I can with their interests at heart,” he said.

 

Leonard’s campaign for worker director is focused on how the role is crucial to the welfare of his An Post colleagues: “I believe it’s crucial that clear communication and transparency from the company is hugely important to us, the ordinary workers. As worker director I want to ensure that the company sticks with an approach that delivers this for An Post staff.

 

“I’m asking for the support of An Post staff. I’m very grateful for all the support I’ve received so far, and I’m encouraging those who support me to mention my candidacy to family and friends who may know people working for An Post. I’m offering myself as a new independent voice who’ll represent all workers and their issues as if they were my own,” he said.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

4-day week: Most think four-day week realistic
Almost half of employers believe four day week ‘feasible’ in their workplace
by Niall Shanahan
 

The Four Day Week Ireland campaign has published the results of a new survey on public attitudes to a four-day working week. 


The Four Day Week Ireland campaign has published the results of a new survey on public attitudes to a four-day working week. The survey, conducted last month by Behaviour & Attitudes (B&A), reveals a very enthusiastic response to the prospect of a four-day week in Ireland.

 

Two out of three respondents expressed the view that a four-day week (defined as “same job, same goals, same salary but over four days rather than five”) is realistic and achievablein the medium term, and a majority of employers who took part in the survey expressing the view that it is achievable. 

 

Just over three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed said they are supportive of the Government exploring the potential introduction of a four-day week. Among employers, more than two out of three (67%) supported this.

 

A substantial majority (75%) believe that a four-day week would be desirable for employees, with a majority (59%) feeling it should be achievable for employers as well. Almost half of employers (46%) said they see trialling a four day week in their own workplace setting as “feasible.”

 

Factoring out undecided respondents, the survey result shows that more than 80% of those expressing an opinion feel it is a realistic and achievable ambition, while 93% would favour a trial.

 

The survey results were published ahead of Four Day Week Ireland’s special online public briefing yesterday (Thursday), as the case for a four-day working week was discussed with TDs and senators from across the political spectrum.

 

Joe O’Connor, director of campaigning with Fórsa trade union, said the survey results demonstrated a significant public appetite for a shorter working week in Ireland: “Close to half of employers see this as feasible in their own workplace, which is very encouraging, while a substantial majority believe the Government should explore this concept.

 

“The four-day week, with no loss of pay, offers the potential of a genuinely better future for workers and employers alike. When we launched this campaign last year, we were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm expressed by many employers, and the openness of some employer representatives to the idea. It’s clear employers recognise the productivity potential of a four-day week, while some employers have already taken the first steps with very promising results,” he said.

 

Mr O’Connor added, “The strong support for a four-day working week amongst Irish people is consistent with similar studies internationally. What may once have seemed like a radical concept is now, for many, a reasonable and rational ambition. The Covid-19 pandemic has further disrupted societal and workplace norms, while illustrating the potential for very different models of work.

 

“We are now urging the Oireachtas Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to commission an expert report on the feasibility of a four-day working week in Ireland, and consult with key stakeholders on this as part of their work programme,” he said.

 

The survey response to the concept of a four-day working week was strongest amongst younger adults and those working full-time. Professional and technical grades and those working in manufacturing, office or administration-based roles, retail and distribution showed the most enthusiasm for the four-day week concept.

 

Margaret Cox, director of ICE Group, a Galway-based recruitment firm which has been operating a four-day working week for more than a year, said: “Many employers may now see the possibilities, where previously this idea may have seemed unachievable. Given our own experience in ICE Group with the success of the four-day initiative, I believe Ireland is incredibly well placed to lead Europe and the world in making a real change in the way business runs, and consolidating our international reputation as a world class country, where business success and societal wellbeing go hand in hand.”

 

Orla O’Connor, director of the National Women’s Council (NWC) said the experience of Covid-19 demonstrated a need to reorganise working time: “A four-day working week would be particularly beneficial to women, allowing better distribution of caring responsibilities between women and men.

 

“Women still do the majority of care work. Reduced working time would allow men to spend more time with their families, to take on more caring responsibilities, and this would help remove barriers to women achieving senior positions in work, and allow women to take on more training opportunities,” she said.

 

Oisín Coghlan, director of Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s great to see such strong public support for the idea of the Government exploring the introduction of a four-day week. We’ve seen how employers and workers have innovated and adapted in the face of Covid, and how commuting doesn’t need to be central to the everyday experience of work.

 

“As we live with the virus, and ultimately move beyond it, there is an opportunity to continue to embrace ideas that boost productivity, reduce pollution and increase wellbeing. The four-day week is one of those ideas, he said.

 

Four Day Week Ireland is a campaign coalition of trade unions, businesses, environmental organisations, women’s rights and civil society organisations, academics, health practitioners and global advocates. See http://fourdayweek.ie/ or follow FourDayWeek Ireland on Twitter.

 

The full B&A presentation is available HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

 

Final phase of pay deal sanctioned
by Bernard Harbor
 

The Government has sanctioned the payment of the final phase of the union-negotiated Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA), which expires at the end of 2020.


The Government has sanctioned the payment of the final phase of the union-negotiated Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA), which expires at the end of 2020.

 

Earlier this month, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) published revised civil service pay scales, which include a 2% pay adjustment effective from 1st October. Cuts to fixed allowances will also be reversed.

 

The pay adjustment will be applied to staff across the civil and public service, section 38 organisations including voluntary hospitals, and non-commercial State agencies.

 

It means that, over its three-year lifetime, the PSSA has brought pay adjustments of more than 7% for over 70% of civil and public servants, with slightly smaller percentage adjustments for the higher-paid.

 

Following PSSA and earlier adjustments, around 90% of civil and public servants have now had their basic pay rates restored to 2009 levels. But most of their incomes are lower than in 2009 because of other factors, including increased pension contributions.

 

Talks

Meanwhile, exploratory talks on a successor to the PSSA opened at a meeting between union leaders and senior DPER officials last week. This was teed-up following a July meeting between leaders of the ICTU Public Services Committee and the new minister for public expenditure and reform, Michael McGrath.

 

Led by Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, the unions outlined their headline issues for the talks at a meeting last Tuesday (8th September). The employer representatives also set out their stall.

 

Another meeting, due to take place before the end of the month, will likely signal whether the two sides believe there is scope to negotiate a new deal.

 

Fórsa pushed the process hard in 2019, and this led to substantial work on the potential shape of a post-PSSA deal. But momentum was lost in the months of Government formation that followed last February’s general election.

 

Furthermore, the economic and financial impact of Covid-19 – including the huge cost of wage supports and additional health spending – has fundamentally changed the context of the talks. While the Programme for Government firmly commits the new administration to seeking a deal, Brexit and the pandemic also mean the Government’s main focus has been elsewhere.

 

Fórsa has said the process needs to acknowledge the contribution of public servants both during the pandemic and in the hard years following the 2008 banking crisis. The union wants it to address outstanding post-crisis restoration issues, including additional working time introduced for lower and medium-paid workers in 2013.

 

The union also wants a mechanism for dealing with issues specific to particular grades and categories of staff, and points out that public service pay did not keep pace with cumulative inflation – or pay movements in the broader economy – in the years following the banking crisis.

 

The PSSA was endorsed in national ballots by members of the three unions that amalgamated to create Fórsa.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

ICTU wants help for Lesbos refugees
by Mehak Dugal
 

Fórsa has joined with other trade unions and civil society groups to call on European governments to relocate 13,000 people – including 4,000 children – left without shelter following a devastating fire at an overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.


Fórsa has joined with other trade unions and civil society groups to call on European governments to relocate 13,000 people – including 4,000 children – left without shelter following a devastating fire at an overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. The facility was designed for fewer than 3,000 people.

 

Last week’s fires destroyed the Moria registration and identification centre and the surrounding areas, leaving thousands homeless and traumatised.

 

The extreme overcrowding at the camp, which has an official capacity of just 2,800, has put huge strains on its sanitation and other facilities leading to major health risks, which have been heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch accused the Greek Government of doing too little to tackle the acute overcrowding in the facility, though Greek authorities say other EU nations are doing too little to accommodate the thousands of refugees arriving in southern Europe.

 

Irish unions have called on the Government to play an active role in Europe’s response to the new emergency. The chair of its Global Solidarity Committee acknowledged the Irish Government’s recognition of the major humanitarian emergency that now exists.

 

“We expect the Irish government to act with urgency on this matter,” she said. ICTU said priority should be given to unaccompanied minors and women travelling alone and with small children.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

Feature Article
Webinar: Remote working after Covid
by Róisín McKane
 

Fórsa is hosting a webinar for members on Friday 25th September at 1pm, exploring the future for remote working from the perspective of workers, employers, communities and the economy.

 


Fórsa is hosting a webinar for members on Friday 25th September at 1pm, exploring the future for remote working from the perspective of workers, employers, communities and the economy.

 

‘Out of Office: Remote working after Covid 19’ will feature a panel of experts exploring issues like productivity, health and safety, work-life balance, and staying connected with colleagues. Our analysts include deputy editor of Silicon Republic Jenny Darmody, Ruth Morrissey of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) and Fórsa’s head of communications, Bernard Harbor.

 

A recent Fórsa survey examining attitudes around remote work has revealed a huge appetite for working from home, with more than 80% of respondents in favour, preferring a hybrid model with a blend of office-based work and remote activities.

 

The experience of remote working during the Covid-19 emergency has demonstrated that work can be carried out remotely in ways that are productive and cost-effective, all while being attractive to employers and their staff. Workers overwhelmingly value the flexibility that remote working can bring, while employers cite improved productivity and cost savings as potential benefits.

 

Click HERE to register for ‘Out of Office: Remote working after Covid.

 

More information on ‘Out of Office: Remote working after Covid 19’ can be found HERE. 

 

More information on the results of the Fórsa remote working survey can be found HERE.

 

Read Fórsa’s submission to a Government consultation on remote working HERE.

 

Read Fórsa’s remote working guide HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

Also in this issue
Applications open for 3rd level grant scheme
by Róisín McKane
 

Fórsa is inviting eligible members and activists to apply to its third level grant support scheme, which gives limited financial assistance to those undertaking certified educational courses – up to third level – that will assist them in carrying out their union representative role.

 

The scheme does not cover courses designed to enhance professional or career development unless they also improve a member’s ability to act as a Fórsa rep.

 

Applicants, who must be fully paid-up Fórsa members, can only apply by completing the approved application form and they must also have the support of their own Fórsa branch.

 

The closing date for applications is Friday 25th September 2020.

 

Full details of the application requirements and available support are available HERE.

 

The approved application form is available HERE.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

 

Unions want action for Debenhams workers
by Mehak Dugal
 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has renewed its call for the Government to intervene in the Debenhams dispute to bring an end to the current deadlock. ICTU also expressed full support for the strike action currently underway in the dispute.

 

The staff, represented by Mandate union, were previously promised a redundancy package which included four weeks’ pay per year of service. But this was soon forgotten when the company entered liquidation earlier this year.

 

The liquidator maintains that there are no assets to pay the 1,000 staff more than statutory redundancy of two weeks’ pay per year of service.

 

The Debenhams workers have been protesting and campaigning for over 20 weeks for a fair redundancy settlement from their former employer.

 

ICTU is also urging the Taoiseach to introduce legislation to protect the terms and conditions of staff whose employers go into receivership. This would prevent similar situations arising in future.

 

Its general secretary Patricia King said the government should offer more than sympathy to the Debenhams workers. She called on public representatives to support “the ongoing attempts by Mandate and Congress to find a resolution to the situation in which workers find themselves.”

 

Congress and Mandate have also offered to make themselves available to discuss or elaborate on any details of their proposals if the Government accepts their invitation to intervene.

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact the union HERE.

Union guidance on remote working
 

Fórsa has published new advice for workers who will be working remotely in the medium or long-term.

 

The guidance was produced as the Government’s recently-announced ‘roadmap for reopening society and business’, made it clear that many public servants and others will continue to work from home for some time.

 

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the working circumstances of almost half of Ireland’s workers, with more than a third now working from home. This extended period of remote working is a new experience for most.

 

While some have now established a productive and rewarding remote working routine, it can be a struggle at times.

 

Working at home: Staying safe, connected, healthy and productive contains advice on health and safety, setting up a workspace, breaks, staying in touch with managers and colleagues, and balancing work with home life and childcare.

 

The guide also contains useful tips on data protection, cybersecurity, and safeguarding your mental health.


Róisín McKane of Fórsa’s Communications Unit drafted the guidance. “Many union members could be working remotely for longer than they ever expected. This information will help them to navigate home working for an extended period.

 

“You may be out of the workplace, but you can still rely on certain legal protections, and you should look to your employer for the supports you need to do your job safely and well,” she said.

 

Read the Fórsa guidance HERE. 

 

If you have questions or concerns about your own situation, you can contact Fórsa HERE

 

It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Update your contact details
 

You can help us keep you up-to-date with union information, news and advice by checking your contact details and amending them if necessary. If we have your home and personal contact details (personal email, mobile phone number, and home address) we can get information to you quickly and directly. You can update your contact details HERE.

Join Fórsa online
 

Workers who wish to join Fórsa can to do so using a new ‘join online’ function on the union’s website.

 

Going live with the new system follows several months of research, preparation and testing aimed at making it easier than ever to join the union. It also goes live as the union continues to process a large number of new membership applications, as interest in joining the union has surged since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

 

Fórsa’s general secretary Kevin Callinan commented: “The current crisis has created the necessity to be able to carry out our business in different ways. Work on this project had commenced before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, and its completion marks a vital step as we tackle the challenges of living in changed times.

 

“We can see that more people want to join a union in response to what’s happening in the wider economy. It’s vital that they can take those initial steps quickly and easily, and making the membership application process more accessible is part of that process.

 

“This is a crucial new venture to enable Fórsa to substantially increase our membership - and to strengthen the union’s hand - at a critical time in the union’s development,” he said.

 

The online facility is a streamlined and simplified membership application process, and will be the quickest and easiest way to join the union. All incoming applications will continue to be subject to check-off and approval by Fórsa branches and the national executive committee, while the new online system is designed to ease the administrative burden on branches.

 

You can join Fórsa online at https://join.forsa.ie/

 

Fórsa: Here to support you
 

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

 

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

 

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

 

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

 

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.