Directly-employed pilots in Ryanair, who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA), a branch of the Fórsa trade union, have served notice of industrial action on the airline.

Pilots voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action (99%) in a dispute over management’s approach to transferring pilots between its European and African bases.

The pilots will engage in strike action next week for a period of 24 hours, commencing at 01:00 on Thursday, 12th July. The union has advised Ryanair that it will notify the airline of additional strike days in due course.

The union is seeking an agreement that would govern base transfer arrangements and related matters.

In earlier correspondence to Ryanair management, the union said its request for talks on the issue had been met with a threat to move Dublin-based aircraft and pilots to other airports and cut promotion opportunities.

The union had previously set out minimum requirements for an agreement, which it says are necessary to create a transparent system that was “supportive of pilot retention and recruitment.”

The union said: “Our member pilots directly employed by Ryanair complain that there is no transparent system for the determination of important matters” including “voluntary/involuntary base transfer/allocation, command upgrade, allocation of annual leave and promotion. When a pilot receives notice of a mandatory base change, or is denied a request for a change of base, such management decisions can have a devastating effect on family life.”

The union is seeking a ‘seniority agreement,' to “provide our member pilots directly employed by Ryanair with a fair and transparent mechanism to understand how and why they are in the base they are in, the order in which their turn may come up for a transfer, how and why they received a particular annual leave allocation, or any other decisions that should take due account of their length of service and seniority in the company.”

The union said it remained available and willing to engage on the issues identified in the notice of strike action.

See also: ‘No evidence whatsoever’ that Ryanair wants to engage in meaningful negotiations (Fórsa website)

Just under half of young Fórsa members are struggling to pay their rent, an Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) survey has found. The survey into housing costs for union members under 35 also found that 45% of Fórsa members were either unhappy living at home or felt trapped in the rental market.

A further 17% said they were very unhappy in their current living arrangements, while 68% had little confidence in their future ability to buy a home.

Fórsa lead organiser Joe O’Connor said young Fórsa members’ experience of housing costs were disturbing, but not hugely surprising given the scale of the housing crisis.

“It is unsustainable that over one-third of young Fórsa workers are seeing more than 30% of their take-home pay swallowed by spiralling rent costs, with almost half feeling insecure in their housing arrangements,” he said.

“It’s well past time for decisive Government action to tackle these crippling costs and uncertain tenancies,” he added.

Joe said it was significant that 80% of Fórsa members said the Government’s failure to address the housing crisis would influence how they will vote in elections.

Read about the overall survey results HERE.
 

Legislation supporting affordable childcare passed through the Oireachtas last week, just as an Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) survey confirmed that most families struggle with childcare costs.

The Childcare Support Bill, which is expected to be enacted in the coming days, promises to give parents additional financial assistance. The Government says the new scheme will replace existing targeted childcare programmes with a “single, streamlined and more user-friendly scheme.”

According to the ICTU survey results which polled 1,000 trade union members, childcare is one of the top two out-of-pocket costs for 71% of working families with a pre-school child. While half (52%) of families with two or more children say it’s their biggest monthly expense.

Commenting on the newly announced legislation, Congress general secretary, Patricia King said:

“Removing this employment barrier for mothers who want to return to work will increase the skills level and size of the workforce. This is vital for sustaining spending on public services and payments, such as the old age pension, into the future”.

Minister for children and youth affairs, Katherine Zappone says the new scheme will improve outcomes for children, reduce poverty, facilitate labour activation and reduce the cost of childcare for families.

“It is a key priority of this government and will require sustained investment and momentum over the coming years to achieve the childcare system that families in Ireland both need and deserve” she said.

Currently the families of over 75,000 children are in receipt of financial support.

Parents of children aged 6-36 months are currently entitled to a non-means tested childcare subsidy of €20 per week, which amounts to €1,040 a year. Some families are also eligible for a €145 means-tested subsidy if the child is under six months. You can click here to see if you qualify.

Fórsa’s youth committee has been hard at work establishing its presence, since its launch in May. The Great Fórsa Quiz was the inaugural event and the committee has since been developing a number of social and workplace campaigns.

New entrants pay, the housing crisis and precarious working conditions are high on the agenda.

Three new officers were recently elected to the committee. I spoke to Osal Kelly (chairperson), Irene Tiernan (vice-chairperson) and Yvette Kelly (secretary to the committee) to find out more.

Osal Kelly is a clerical officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and became involved in youth and social issues during his time at university.

He’s conscious of the challenges younger members are facing. “My priority is to develop the Fórsa youth committee as a group equipped to campaign for pay equality for young public servants, and to end the scandal of precarious employment blighting younger workers,” he said.

Osal hopes that the youth committee will also help fortify the trade union movement. “I hope to strengthen the links with activists in other unions and show the continuing relevance of trade unions to young people.”

As secretary to the committee, Yvette Kelly works at the Department of Justice and Equality. She is focused on the issues of mental health and pay inequality. Yvette’s passion for workers’ rights stems from facing unemployment and precarious work during the economic crisis. She began to question the injustice and unfairness facing many.

“The systematic inequality and the class logic that deepens injustice faced by workers hit home with me,” she explained.

Yvette’s goal is to empower other activists, to lead and organise effectively, in order to build a stronger union. “I want to bring home the main message of trade unions to young people entering the work force that an injury to one is an injury to all,” she said.

Irene Tiernan works in the HSE and is PRO for the Sligo Health and Welfare branch. She has been active in the trade union movement for the last two years . Irene hopes that her position on the committee will encourage others to get involved and strengthen the union and views her activism as a form of giving back to the wider trade union community.

“I want to give back to Fórsa as it’s invested so much time in me. I feel that by giving my time and commitment that I'm returning on the union’s investment in me,” she said.

“I joined the youth committee to be a voice for other young workers, and also encourage others to get involved in the union. I want to show how important the union is for young workers and remind them that we are the future and we have power to make positive changes,” she said.

If you would like to get involved, please contact Joe O’Connor or Roisin McKane for more information.

Fórsa members in An Post are to get a pay rise of 3.5% on foot of a deal negotiated by the union and endorsed by the Labour Court.

The award will see an increase of 2% backdated to 1st December 2017, followed by a further 1.5%. A members’ meeting unanimously endorsed the proposal last week, and asked the union to seek payment of the outstanding 1.5%.

Fórsa official Denis Keane said: “We are seeking payment of the increase by the end of July, with payment of the back money shortly after. This follows lengthy discussions with the company to negotiate the changes required to verify the payment of the first 2%.”

Agreement was reached and then verified by a monitoring group appointed by the Labour Court.

European Ryanair cabin crew published a Crew Charter yesterday (Wednesday 4th July) following their first summit which took place in Dublin. The charter details a set of demands to the company which will be used by affiliated unions in their negotiations with the airline.

Ryanair cabin crew from the airline's European bases convened at Fórsa's Dublin HQ for the summit, the first of its kind to take place.The summit was organised by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), under the banner of Cabin Crew United. Cabin crew from around 80% of Ryanair bases were in attendance.

The ITF said the Ryanair Crew Charter outlines "the changes the company must make to bring it in line with comparable employers."

It contains demands on economic conditions, safety and rostering, a fair and supportive work culture, agency employment, the right to sick pay and sales targets. One of its key demands is that employment contracts explicitly recognise national law and jurisdiction in the country a worker is based.

In its statement, the ITF said: "Last December, following intense pressure from workers, Ryanair finally announced that it would recognise unions. However, little progress has been made over the last six months and there have so far been no concrete improvements in pay or working conditions at the airline. If Ryanair fails to respond promptly and appropriately then it risks industrial action over the summer. ITF and ETF support all lawful industrial action undertaken by their national affiliates with the aim of winning a fair deal for workers."

Oliver Richardson of Unite trade union joined ITF representatives to launch the charter at a packed press conference at Fórsa's office in Nerney's Court. The press conference was later addressed by three Ryanair workplace representatives, who each answered questions about their experience, workplace concerns and support for the charter.

It's the first time Ryanair workplace representatives have spoken directly with journalists at a press conference. Media outlets represented at the press conference agreed to keep the briefing 'off the record', which meant that comments would be reported but the worker representatives would not be identified.

Cabin Crew United is an alliance of trade unions affiliated to the International Transport Workers’ Federation and European Transport Workers’ Federation (which includes Fórsa), and is dedicated to winning a better deal for Ryanair cabin crew workers.

You can read the full charter here.

Cabin crew are more likely to develop a number of forms of cancer than the average person, according to a Harvard university study of over 5,000 current and former US flight attendants.

The conditions studied include breast cancer, where 3.4% of cabin crew contract the disease, compared to 2.3% in the general population.

Other cancers where cabin crew are more exposed included cervical, gastrointestinal, skin, and thyroid cancers, according to what the authors say is the largest and most comprehensive study of cancer among cabin crew.

Co-author Dr Irina Mordukhovich said the results were “even more striking given the low rates of overweight and smoking in this occupational group.”

The report says cabin crew are exposed to poor air quality and several known and probable carcinogens in aeroplanes. Their body clocks are also disrupted by shift patterns, it says.

Read more about the study HERE.

Workers at the council took part in a fourth one-day stoppage on Tuesday (3rd July) this week. Strike action scheduled for today (Thursday) has now been suspended.

Peter Nolan, head of Fórsa’s Local Government and Services division, said: “Based on the documents received from the WRC and the oversight group, we’re satisfied there’s a clear route to the full availability of flexi-leave for our members.”

The WRC document recommends that both parties agree that all staff at the council are allowed to generate flexitime/flexileave, and that council management would have to be satisfied that there is sufficient, productive work to enable the generation of flexitime/flexileave.

The document also recommends that Roscommon County Council will facilitate the taking of leave subject to ordinary business needs.

The union is to attend the WRC today to finalise the details.

Former members of Fórsa, or the three unions that amalgamated to create the new union, can maintain their union membership and enjoy a range of financial and other benefits including continued participation in union campaigns and events.

The union has a retired members’ vocational group, which deals solely with the issues that affect former members. Continued union membership – at an affordable cost – gives retired members a voice on issues that affect them and their families. This is vital at a time when incomes and services are under pressure and the number of older people in Ireland is growing all the time.

Fórsa’s retired members’ vocational group campaigns to protect and enhance retired workers’ income and security, and advocates for better services for older people.

Retired colleagues continue to be members of the union branch they retired from, so they can keep contact with friends after retirement. Many branches and retired members’ groups organise social events.

How do I Join

The union subscription is either €8 per month (payable by bank standing order) or 0.4% of your pension (deducted at source, where employers provide this facility).  Regardless of the method of payment, the fee does not exceed €96.00 euro per year.

Financial benefits for retired members include:

€5,000 personal accident insurance
€5,000 critical illness or death benefit
€5,000 death of a spouse/qualifying partner
Evacuation or repatriation expenses of up to €250,000 for members who die or are seriously ill abroad
Free legal help in bodily injury cases
Free 24/7 legal advice helpline
Free 24/7 confidential counselling helpline
Free 24/7 domestic assistance helpline.

Retired members can also opt-in to Fórsa-facilitated financial benefits on car insurance, home insurance and travel insurance.  Retired members can also avail of our group discount scheme for online shopping.

Contact rnolan@forsa.ie for more information.

Fórsa has welcomed confirmation that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) intends to offer at least 67 fixed-term contracts to qualified driver-testers to help deal with an expected surge in demand for driving tests.

They will come from a panel of 100 testers to be put in place as part of a union-management agreement on handling the fall-out from proposed new legal sanctions on car owners who allow their vehicles to be used by unaccompanied learners.

Fórsa reached agreement with the RSA in April, and has since been awaiting sanction from the transport department. It says the authority originally proposed to outsource the extra work, before the union successfully argued that direct-labour was the quickest, safest and cheapest solution.

Once enacted, the legislation will introduce fines of up to €2,000, or six months imprisonment, for motorists who allow their vehicles to be used by unaccompanied learner drivers. The bill will also allow the detention of vehicles illegally driven by learner drivers.

Without action, this ran the risk of a short-term doubling of demand for driving tests, with increased average waiting times of as much as 55 weeks.

Fórsa official Ashley Connolly, who negotiated the deal with the RSA, said the union had moved quickly to avoid both privatisation and unacceptable waiting lists. “Fórsa supports the measures in the Road Traffic Bill because they will improve road safety. But we needed this deal to prevent a huge backlog of driving tests and a potential trebling of waiting times,” she said.

The union has also called for a much smaller number of extra driver testers to be employed on a permanent basis to cover increased ongoing demand for tests on foot of economic recovery.

Fórsa says the number of driver-testers has fallen by almost 20% since 2007. As a result, average waiting times have risen to 14 weeks on foot of the economic recovery. This is four weeks more than the Road Safety Authority’s 10-week target, which was previously being met.

Incoming official Brendan O’Hanlon said the union had also discussed other ways of reducing waiting times with the RSA, and was willing to look at additional flexibility measures. “The number of driver testers has fallen from 126 in 2007 to only 102 today. This is an important win for the union, now we will be working to ensure that it’s implemented in the way it was intended,” he said.

The Living Wage Technical Group has increased the rate of the Living Wage by 20c to €11.70 an hour.

In its latest report the group said the increase has been driven by changes in the cost of living and changes in the taxation system. It said the current housing crisis, and associated increases in rent levels, continues to be the main driver of the wage rate increasing for 2018. 

The Living Wage is an evidence based wage, centred on the concept that work should provide individuals with an adequate income to afford a socially acceptable standard of living.

The Living Wage, which now stands at €2.35 an hour more than the current minimum wage (€9.55), is derived from budgetary standards research, focusing on needs not wants.

It is constructed on the basis of a single adult household working 39 hours a week, and sees an income disparity of €91.65 on average per week, when comparing against the current minimum wage.

The technical group and its research is supported by the Nevin Economic Research Institute, SIPTU, Social Justice Ireland, TASC, Unite union and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice.

Click here for more information on The Living Wage 2018.