Fórsa has cautiously welcomed the recent announcement by Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Jospeha Madigan TD that there is an agreement to accredit the National Training Programme for SNAs as delivered by UCD in the coming weeks.

While the minister’s official acknowledgment is welcome, the union has raised concern about the lack of details on the process and the level of accreditation to be awarded.

Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike, said this marked a significant development and the union welcomed the minister’s comments.

“This is another win in Fórsa’s campaign to increase the minimum essential qualifications for SNAs, and improve the overall terms and conditions of employment for thousands of SNAs around the country,” said Andy.

Fórsa said UCD’s own internal assessment recommends the course meets the standard of a Fetac QQI Level 7 Certificate on the National Framework of Qualifications.

The union said it backed the idea as UCD was best placed to determine the level of accreditation the course warrants as it is within their area of specialist expertise to do so.

Fórsa said it will push for an independent expert review to be carried out on the level of accreditation to be awarded, if the Department’s view differs from that of UCD.

The independent review would then be carried out by specialists in the field who have the appropriate professional skills and competencies to make a fair and balanced determination as to the level they believe the course should be accredited at.

Fórsa has welcomed the decision to align bereavement leave for staff in the education sector with those in other areas of the public sector.

All education workers will now be entitled to twenty days bereavement leave should they sadly experience the death of a spouse, partner or child.

Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said that the announcement was a hugely positive development.

“Our members across the education sector will now have access to the enhanced bereavement leave as do public servants in other sectors. This means those employed in the education sector will be afforded twenty days paid leave instead of the previous five,” he explained.

Andy said that this additional leave will help to support all education workers who experience such grief.

“Although this cannot offset the emotional trauma and pain someone may feel in such an event, the additional paid leave is a support to all staff in these distressing times. We are talking about people dealing with the loss of a partner, son or daughter. We made the case that everyone in these tragic circumstances experiences tremendous grief, regardless of the sector they work in,” he said.

Fórsa first lodged a claim with the then Department of Education and Skills back in 2019 seeking access to the bereavement leave available to other workers in the public sector.

Employers stubbornly refused to concede the request which urged the group of unions to threaten take the issue to the Labour Court.

Rather than explain their position to the Court, both Government Departments have now decided to concede the claim.

Fórsa is now discussing the implementation of these new arrangements with the Department of Education, and will issue further updates members with progress.

Retired Fórsa activist John Farrelly is one of the organisers of a special vigil for Ukraine taking place in December.

The vigil of reflection and remembrance in support of the people of Ukraine takes place on Sunday 4^th December at 2.30pm at the Russian Embassy, Orwell Road, Rathgar, Dublin 14.

John recently retired from the CDETB and was an active member of the union. He is one of around 50 regular protesters that have, since the invasion of Ukraine in February, gathered daily outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin.

He explained: “As part of our ongoing protest we are organising a Vigil for Peace on Sunday the 4^th December outside the Russian embassy.

“It starts at 2.30pm, and we’re inviting friends, family and supporters to gather with us for readings of poetry and prose, some music including Christmas carols and traditional Ukrainian songs.

“As the illegal invasion of Ukraine enters its tenth month, we wanted to give people the opportunity to reflect, to remember the thousands of innocent civilians killed, injured and displaced by this war, in a spirit of solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” he said.

John says the group of protesters who gather at the Russian embassy is a very diverse group of individuals: “The unifying force for us as a group is a fierce determination to oppose the criminal invasion of Ukraine by Putin and his regime.”

Fórsa members can tune in to a free health insurance webinar, hosted by Cornmarket exclusively for the union.

Members will have two opportunities to catch the information webinar, which will take place at noon on Tuesday 6th December and Thursday 13th December.

The online session will offer guidance on all aspects of health insurance and advise how you can save money on your plan. Ireland’s leading health insurance guru Dermot Goode will also be on hand to offer advice and answer your questions.

Registration for the event is free and can be accessed HERE and HERE.

More information on Cornmarket can be found HERE.

Fórsa is urging caretakers and other education workers to get active, engaged and involved as discussions with the Department of Education and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) loom.

Last week the inaugural annual general meeting for caretakers saw a formal branch executive committee established, elected by members, to represent caretakers in these discussions.

There is significant scope to increase the members density of caretakers which would strengthen the hand of the union as talks progress.

Whilst there is an agreement in principle on issues for caretakers, and a clear framework that the union will follow, there are items that will require further discussion with the Department.

Fórsa official Shane Lambert called on all education members to ensure that caretakers in their employments are aware of the recent developments, and to highlight the benefit of being part of the union during these talks.

“There is significant scope to increase the membership of caretakers in our schools and we need to maximise the amount of strength we have in advance of these discussions,” he said.

“We are asking our members, SNAs, secretaries and caretakers to talk to other workers about these discussions. If there is a caretaker in your school who is not a member of the union, illustrate to them the advantages of being part of the union. The more Caretakers we have, the stronger case we can put forward to both the Department of Education and WRC,” said Shane.

The new Work-Life Balance Bill, regarding the right to work from home is now "fit for purpose," according to ICTU. 

Speaking on RTE this week, ICTU policy officer Laura Bambrick said the new legislation is just bringing Ireland into line with several other European countries.

Cabinet announced in early November that it had agreed to scrap the draft Right to Request Remote Working Bill and instead deliver the new workers’ rights in the Work-Life Balance Bill, which is currently making its way through the Oireachtas.

The ‘right to request’ legislation had previously been described as “fatally flawed” by Fórsa and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), and in need of major amendments. The new legislation has been developed as a result of extensive engagement between government departments, trade unions and employers.

The 13 grounds for refusal in the original legislation are now gone. Laura said “When an employer is considering a request, they absolutely take their own needs into account.

"But now, they also have to take the worker's needs and a new code of practice, which will be drawn up by the Workplace Relations Commission.”

If employers do not do that when they are considering the request, then the worker will now have a right, which they previously did not, to go to the WRC and if the WRC finds in their favour there will be redress.

Laura added: “There will be a penalty of up to four weeks' pay. There's nothing unusual in that in employment legislation.

"In fact, in most legislation there is a penalty for not following the law. And really what it's meant is not to be a windfall day for workers, it's supposed to be a deterrent to ensure that employers are having due regard for the requirements under this new law," she said.

A new national living wage has been agreed and is set to replace the minimum wage by 2026.

The new living wage will be phased in over a four-year period starting next year and will be set at 60% of the hourly median wage.

The national minimum wage currently stands at €10.50 and is set to increase by 80c to €11.30 per hour from 1st January 2023. This will be followed by gradual increases until the minimum wage reaches 60% of hourly median earnings, which is estimated to equate to approximately €13.10 per hour by 2023.

The 2022/2023 living wage, a wage which makes possible a minimum acceptable standard of living, is currently €13.85 per hour.

Under the new agreement the Low Pay Commission will have discretion to use adjustment mechanisms to speed up or slow down progress towards 60% of the hourly median wage in response to any specific circumstances that have had a significant impact on economic conditions.

Once the living wage has come into effect in 2026, subject to an assessment of the impact of the change, the Low Pay Commission will advise on the practicalities of gradually increasing the targeted threshold rate towards 66% of the hourly median wage.

While the new living wage scheme has been broadly welcomed, workers under the age of 18 are still only guaranteed up to 70% of the national minimum wage. Laura Bambrick, social policy officer with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) said it was disappointing that young people will continue to get sub-minimum wage rates and called on the living wage to be fast tracked.

“Last month Germany introduced a living wage, increasing a minimum wage of €9.60 in January to a €12 an hour living wage from October 1. That’s the level of ambition we need for our lowest paid workers who were most impacted by the pandemic and inflation,” she said.

The first delegation of Fórsa activists will be meeting at 12.30 at the union’s offices at Nerney’s Court in Dublin to collect flags and banners, and will make their way to Parnell Square at 12.45.

Ireland today has never been wealthier. However, a younger generation is effectively locked out of access to housing, while an older generation of private renters face huge uncertainty in retirement.

Hotels house families who are homeless, while too many private homes are on short-term let to visiting tourists, while housing for refugees and asylum seekers is becoming an increasingly fraught issue.

The Government’s Housing for All policy is falling far short of meeting the housing needs of our population, and ICTU’s general secretary Owen Reidy last week confirmed that the housing crisis is the most important issue on which the trade union movement is currently campaigning, and one of the few that unites almost every strand of society.

That’s why we need your support tomorrow.

We need your voice to strengthen the call for affordable homes and rents that allow households a decent standard of living.

We need your voice to strengthen our call for protection from eviction, security for tenants and high-quality public housing.

And we need you to join the call for a housing system that works for communities, families and individuals, not just for investment funds or developers.

If the Government fails to step up its game, and ensure the provision of homes for working people with progressive, considered and, above all, radically ambitious housing policies, it will open the door to a series of societal failures.

Just this week, caution was sounded by an expert group advising the Government that the protracted housing crisis provides a basis for potential racist tension and confrontation.

The latest employment monitor from recruiter Morgan McKinley says companies based in Dublin are struggling to find employees because of the lack of affordable housing or rental properties.

Employers in towns and city centres, most notably in the hospitality industry, are temporarily shuttering their businesses or closing completely because the staff they would otherwise hire cannot find a place to live.

The successful recruitment of teachers, gardaí and medical staff is significantly below requirements for much the same reason. Generations of well-educated, experienced young workers are weighing up the prospect of leaving the country to ensure that they can start an independent life.

The roots of this problem lie in the gradual withdrawal of the State from its interventions in the housing market, the last semblance of which was the affordable housing scheme, which finished just over a decade ago.

Tomorrow we need to send a clear message to Government that its housing policies need to expand, improve, get radical, and serve the needs of everyone who needs a home.

Please join us.

The first delegation of Fórsa activists will be meeting at 12.30 at the union’s offices at Nerney’s Court in Dublin to collect flags and banners, and will make their way to Parnell Square at 12.45.

Fórsa is supporting the Raise the Roof demonstration in Dublin this Saturday, and Fórsa is holding a poster competition in preparation.

The rally has been called in response to the acute housing crisis facing the country, and Fórsa is encouraging members and their families to get involved. 

To be in with a shot of winning one of three €50 Smyths Toys vouchers just draw a poster illustrating how you would #RaisetheRoof this November and email your entry to jcooper@forsa.ie.

Extra points if you also post your pictures, tagging us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

Entries close on Friday 25th November and three winners will be selected.

The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI), the trade-union backed economic research organisation, is hosting two seminars in December focusing, respectively, on economic growth and corporate taxation policy.

The first seminar, taking place at Fórsa’s office in Nerney’s Court, Dublin on Wednesday 7th December at 3:30pm is Resilient Growth: A policy framework for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with Dr. Tom McDonnell and Paul Mac Flynn (NERI). You can register for that seminar HERE. 

The second seminar, taking place at the INTO office in Belfast on Thursday, 15^th December at 3.30pm, is Corporate Tax Games: Lessons from the Republic of Ireland with Nessa Ni Chasaide of Maynooth University. You can register for that seminar HERE. 

The institute has a vision of the achievement of a better, fairer society, and -  through the provision of world-class research and analysis - aims to contribute towards the construction of alternative perspectives and possibilities that will lead to the creation of a sustainable and inclusive economy that works for everyone in society.

The Nevin Economic Research Institute is supported by the unions affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, including Fórsa.

To mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and 16 Days of Action Campaign - the Scottish TUC, Wales TUC, Irish Trade Union Congress and the TUC Women's Committees launched the #SilenceIsCompliance campaign.

The group also held a joint webinar on preventing and tackling sexual harassment, and their collective demands for change on workplace sexual harassment.

All women have the right to a safe workplace. We need action on preventing & tackling sexual harassment at work.

Male allies can also show their support for the campaign by taking the pledge and uploading it on social media.

Make sure to use #16DaysOfActivism and #EndGBV and tag @irishcongress and/or @forsa_union_ie.

The Four Day Week campaign is soon to launch the results of Ireland’s first four-day week pilot programme.

In the last year, seventeen Irish employments have participated in the trial, as part of a global pilot scheme.

The project, carried out in partnership by Four Day Week Ireland, University College Dublin, and Boston College looked at the financial, social, and environmental impact a four-day working week would have on businesses.

Although there have been several four-day week trials in organisations across the globe, this project is the first large scale research into a shorter working week, replicated across companies of different sizes, in various sectors, across a number of countries.

Results of the experience of Irish participants in the pilot programme will be presented by Orla Kelly (UCD), on Wednesday 30^th November, at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce at 11.30am.

The event, hosted by Four-Day Week Ireland, will include presentations from a number of the Irish pilot participants, in addition to contributions from the Four-Day Week Global campaign.

You can sign up for the event by clicking here.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has welcomed the Supreme Court decision that the Government’s proposed ratification of the ‘Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement’ (CETA) between the EU and Canada is unconstitutional under Irish law.

In a majority decision by the Court announced two weeks ago (11th November), the Government and Dáil’s proposed ratification of the trade agreement was deemed unconstitutional as Irish law now stands.

The Court said the ratification of CETA would “breach the judicial sovereignty of the State” contrary to the Constitution.

In its 2016 statement on CETA, the ICTU argued that the (then proposed) EU-US ‘TTIP’ agreement - and in particular its controversial provisions establishing an ‘Investor Court System’ giving multinational investors the right to sue governments for alleged breaches of their rights under the agreement - was an affront to democracy and could breach the Irish Constitution.

ICTU general secretary Owen Reidy commented: “We welcome the fact that the Supreme Court has now clarified the matter, and we congratulate Patrick Costello TD for performing a vital public service in this regard.

“ICTU supports trade agreements between the EU and other countries that are fair and that create better jobs, that protect fundamental rights, including workers’ rights, and public services and that promote climate action, not one that privileges investors over democracy.

“It is now incumbent on Government to consider the Supreme Court’s ruling in full and with all stakeholders before deciding its response,” he said.

Former Health and Welfare division activist Martin Bridgeman was elected as the new chairperson of Fórsa’s Retired Members Group at the group’s first-in person AGM in September.

The AGM took place at Fórsa’s Nerney’s Court offices.

Martin and other members of the group in attendance paid tribute to outgoing chair Brian Burke for his years of service. Brian extended his personal thanks to outgoing secretary Mary Keating for her support and assistance.

Martin is joined on the executive committee for 2022/2023 by vice chairperson John Martin, treasurer Gerry Foley and secretary Helen Lundy.

Other items on the group’s AGM agenda were parity under the terms of national agreements, national representation for retired members and pension provision in semi-state companies.