Fórsa official Sean Carabini responds to SNA members questions about their contract arrangements. In this edition he looks at lunchbreak entitlements.

President Michael D. Higgins signed the Technological Universities Act 2018 into law last week. The new legislation provides for the merger of existing Institutes of Technology and the creation of a new category of university, and has been broadly welcomed by the various institutes of technology. We could see the opening of the first technological university in 2018.  
What will it mean for the education sector?

Fórsa wants pay scales shortened as quickly as possible for staff who joined the public service after January 2011.

Representatives from across Fórsa met for the first time last week to explore the potential for new cross-divisional, grade specific bodies called ‘equivalent grade committees’ or ‘professional committees.

Fórsa addressed the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight last week, and demanded the reinstatement of tax relief on individual workers’ trade union subscriptions.

The joint presidents of Fórsa issued a statement supporting recent student protests against extortionate repeat fees and other hidden charges on students at Trinity College Dublin.

Fórsa is mobilising members to take part in the Housing is a Human Right national demonstration on Saturday, 7th April.

The demonstration, organised by the National Homeless and Housing Coalition, will assemble at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square at 1pm.

We look at the main stories in the current edition of the news bulletin. Presented by Hazel Gavigan and Niall Shanahan