Fórsa last week presented cheques worth a total of half a million Euro (€500,000) to two organisations providing humanitarian relief to people displaced by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The union’s Ukraine appeal raised almost €250,000 in donations from Fórsa members and branches. The Fórsa National Executive Committee then topped up the amount from the union’s Developing World Fund to bring the total raised to €500,000.

The proceeds of the Fórsa appeal are being shared equally between the Irish Red Cross and a special trade union solidarity fund jointly established by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Each of these appeals is currently supporting humanitarian efforts on the ground.

Almost 2,000 individual Fórsa members made contributions to the appeal, along with 98 of the union’s 200 branches.

Tim Noonan, ITUC Director for coordinating humanitarian relief effort, said the union's donation was the single largest contribution they had received. "We are working with unions across Ukraine, the largest of which has ten facilities in the country that are all currently homing hundreds of refugees and internally displaced people.

“Along with a number of unions in neighbouring countries, we are using these funds to provide humanitarian items to the areas affected by the invasion, such as food and clothes, medicines, toys, and educational backup for the children,” he said.

Charlie Lamson, head of fundraising with the Irish Red Cross, said support from Fórsa was going to people within Ukraine and those displaced to other countries including Ireland.

“Almost 15 million people have been displaced by the conflict, and six million people have had to flee to the neighbouring countries.

“The Red Cross is working to provide essential services in all the affected areas. This takes a massive coordination effort to even provide basic essentials like food, water and medicine to the refugees.

“We also provide support to refugees that have arrived in Ireland. This means support at points of entry like at the airport, to welcome them, give initial information, trauma support, and we are also working on Ukrainian centres in Ireland to provide central points of contact and information for people,” he said.

Some 32,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently here in Ireland.

Charlie echoed Tim's point about the Fórsa donation and support being "one of the largest contributions" received by the Irish Red Cross.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said he was extremely proud of the union’s members and branches.

"Within hours of the invasion, the international trade union movement responded in the form of very clear statements of condemnation and within hours after that we had the basis of an initiative to bring our members and branches into this funding appeal. We are very clear, an injury to one is of concern to all. This is the key, core message of the trade union movement,” he said.

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