Fórsa officials are set to meet with representatives of the Irish Prison Service (IPS) on Wednesday 9th April. The meeting will be part of conciliation in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). 

The matter in dispute is related to remuneration for chaplains in the prison service. Chaplains who have seven-day contracts are not being compensated for weekend work and bank holidays.  

Fórsa official Paul Moyer said: “We have engaged in good faith with the Irish Prison Service, but after many bilateral meetings and little progress we needed to escalate the dispute to the WRC.” 

He continued: “We have a precedent; we have the legislation. It’s a strong case.” 

The precedent Paul refers to, is a previous Fórsa win in June 2024. A chaplain working in the HSE was similarly denied a Sunday premium and sought back pay on wages owed. Back pay was awarded and Fórsa’s legal argument upheld. 

Despite the precedent, the IPS continues to refuse to remunerate chaplain members appropriately. The IPS has claimed that working weekends is now optional for chaplains. They contend that they do not need to provide religious services and therefore have no need of seven-day cover. This means chaplains do not need to work weekends or bank holidays if they do not wish to do so. 

Fórsa has refuted this claim, with Paul saying: “Religious prisoners can and do use the services provided through the chaplains. Just as individual ministrations are important, collective moments of faith, typically taking place over the weekend, can give prisoners a much-needed feeling of solidarity and support in their efforts to change.” 

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