Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan has called on the Government to open negotiations on a new public service pay agreement by May at the latest. He also said that the size and timing of any agreed pay adjustments “will need to reflect the realities of the cost of living crisis, which is hurting workers regardless of what sector they work in.”

Speaking at the AGM of the union’s Kildare Health Branch in Naas earlier this week, Kevin said the current agreement, Building Momentum, had not kept pace with inflation, which was far higher than projected when the deal was negotiated in late 2020. This meant talks on a successor agreement “must prioritise the restoration and improvement of living standards in the context of high inflation.”

He called on the Government to take “decisive action” to protect living standards and ensure that the public service can compete in a tight labour market. “We need to act now to stabilise the current public service agreement, which is essential to certainty in public service delivery, industrial relations, and public finances,” he said.

Kevin told the meeting: “If you average inflation across the whole of 2021, the annual rate for the whole year was 2.4%. The value of Building Momentum pay improvements was 0.25% over the same period. The EU now expects Irish inflation to rise to 4.6% for the whole of 2022. The annualised value of the Building Momentum increases in the same year will not exceed 1.2%, even when sectoral bargaining is taken into account.”

He called on the Government and its officials to clear the decks for fresh negotiations by quickly finalising two outstanding elements of Building Momentum – its sectoral bargaining provisions and the restoration of austerity-era added working time, as recommended by an independent body chaired by top mediator Kieran Mulvey.

“When I spoke to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Ministers Donohoe, McGrath and Ryan at the Labour Employer Economic Forum earlier this month, I said early confirmation that the Government will implement the independent body’s recommendations was essential to the credibility and stability of Building Momentum.

“We also need the Government to give an early confirmation that talks will begin in earnest no later than May 2022, to allow sufficient time to negotiate a package, consult with members, and ballot on the outcome in time for any necessary provisions to be included in the October Budget,” he said.

Kevin, who is currently also president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), noted that Ireland’s exchequer figures remain buoyant, and that the EU is forecasting economic growth of 5.5% this year. “Others are predicting an even stronger performance,” he said.

“There is no doubt that we face a challenge. But a failure to act risks turning that challenge into a serious problem for the public finances, for our public services, and for everyone who delivers or depends on them,” he said.

He added that the modest pay adjustments in Building Momentum, and the agreement’s unusually short two-year duration, reflected the economic and fiscal uncertainty in the period when the deal was finalised.

“Building Momentum was negotiated in late November and early December 2020. In the thick of the pandemic, well ahead of the arrival of vaccines. It was a time of huge uncertainty for us all, and it was an uncertain time for the public finances. As a result, it was very much a ‘holding’ agreement, and this was reflected in its unusually short two-year duration.

“Equally, the pay increases – of 1% in October 2021; 1% in October 2022; and 1% available under sectoral bargaining from February this year – were modest. This reflected the absence of any expectation of the high and sustained cost-of-living increases that workers across the economy are now struggling with.

“Government ministers have been encouraging employers to increase wages as their contribution to tackling the cost of living crisis. Many employers have already done so, if only to recruit and retain the staff they need to survive and thrive in the new post-Covid labour market reality.

“The State also has a responsibility as an employer. Prevarication will only invite challenges to the current public service agreement and store up bigger difficulties and uncertainties with regard to the public finances and industrial relations,” he said.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Planned industrial action 500 hospital pharmacists, which was due to take place on Wednesday (16th February) was suspended following confirmation last week that the dispute could be referred to the Labour Court.

Confirmation of the referral followed a meeting of the Public Sector Agreement Group (PSAG) last week, where it was agreed the parties should return to the WRC process and progress matters to the Labour Court. The PSAG is a union-management forum that deals with issues arising from the Building Momentum agreement.

In a memo issued to hospital pharmacists last Thursday, Fórsa's head of Health and Welfare Éamonn Donnelly said the union had received confirmation that the parties could proceed to the court and that the strike would not proceed. A limited action currently being undertaken by hospital pharmacists will also be discontinued.

Representatives of Fórsa, the HSE and the health department met earlier this week to discuss the next steps. Fórsa assistant general secretary Catherine Keogh subsequently wrote to the WRC on behalf of all the parties seeking that the conciliation process be reconvened as a soon as possible, and proceedings are now scheduled to commence on 16^th March.

In a ballot last month, Fórsa’s hospital pharmacist members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in the dispute, which concerns the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s (DPER) refusal to sanction an improved hospital pharmacy service, which would deliver cost savings of €55m per year. The savings had already validated by the Department of Health and the HSE.

Mask-wearing is to remain compulsory in in healthcare settings, although the Government looks set to scrap the requirement for masks to be worn in schools, public offices and on public transport. The recommendation was made by NPHET which, according to reports, will soon be stood down in its present form.

Prior to the announcement, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions had called for the mask requirement to remain in place for a little longer.

Fórsa had also said that the mask requirement for most school students should have remained in place for the rest of the term because of the stubborn prevalence of Covid infections.

The union’s head of education, Andy Pike, said: “In respect of SNAs it is essential that they continue to use appropriate masks as so many of them continue to work with unvaccinated students.”

Fórsa has welcomed new Government measures to ease the cost of living crisis, but says more needs to be done. The new measures, announced last week, include a €200 energy credit to be paid in April, a 20% cut in public transport fares between April and December, and an additional €125 for those who receive fuel allowance payments.

Just over 70,000 families will also gain from a reduction in the drug payment scheme, while a €10 working family payment increase is to be brought forward from 1^st June to 1^st April. And the school transport fee cap for parents with multiple children is to fall to €500 per family post-primary and €150 for primary school children.

Meanwhile, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has revised its 2022 private sector pay targets upwards, while Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan has called on the Government to open negotiations on a new public service pay agreement by May at the latest.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa officials have told the Oireachtas health Committee that key reforms are urgently needed to sustain home support services, which currently support more than 65,000 people each year. The service supports older people and enables them to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. It also gives support to informal carers.

Fórsa told political representatives that a standardised approach to service delivery across community health organisations (CHOs) was needed. The union also called for a streamlined recruitment system for home support staff to speed up the process in a highly competitive job market.

Fórsa assistant general secretary Catherine Keogh told the committee that the “gold standard” in the service was to work for the HSE as opposed to the private sector. But she said the HSE had a great difficulty with delays in recruiting staff.

She called for the removal of the for-profit model  from home care.

Fórsa’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly, told the committee that the current delivery of home support services was split between direct HSE provision, delivery by non-profit service providers, and delivery by a number of private sector operators.

“HSE standards for the service only apply to services delivered by, or through, the HSE. Where home support services are privately purchased, there are no similar standards,” he said.

Catherine said the burden of delivering five million additional hours under the HSE’s 2021 national service plan, fell on the shoulders of home support resource managers, who had to incorporate them into an already overburdened system.

“At the same time, the nine different CHOs took widely differing approaches to the delivery of the service. Some saw the increased budget as solely for the delivery of additional hours with no additional resources, while others recognised that maximising the benefit of these additional hours, for those on the waiting lists, included the provision of the ancillary supports they needed,” she said.

She said just over 100 home support resource managers coordinate the delivery of ten million hours of service by 5,000 directly-employed home support staff, as well as administering the complex home care package scheme. There was an urgent need for appropriate clerical and admin support for a service of this scale.

She added: “Our home support resource manager members have expressed their frustration at the lack of investment into the service over the last 20 years, which has had a negative impact on waiting lists, in addition to the recruitment and retention of staff.

“This includes continuing to deal with time consuming, and out-of-date payroll systems, ad hoc recruitment and long delays between job offers and starting dates. All of these factors make the delivery of a modern and sustainable service especially challenging, and these reform measures need to be implemented quickly so that the rising demand for services by an ageing population can be met.”

Fórsa is today (Friday) meeting public expenditure and reform minister Michael McGrath to discuss the possibility of targeted four-day week working pilots in areas of the public service from early 2023.

The Government has already committed €150,000 in research funding to explore the economic, social and environmental implications of the four-day working week in response to the union’s campaign.

The second phase of the pilot programme, which is part of an international initiative coordinated by 4-Day Week Global.

This week, Wales and Belgium became the latest counties to move on the issue of reduced working time.

New Belgian legislation gives staff the right to work a four-day week without loss of salary, though this involves working the same number of hours over a shorter working week.

The Four Day Week Ireland programme is piloting genuine working time reduction, where workers get the same pay for reduced hours, but with the same output.

Meanwhile, a new report by the Autonomy think tank in Wales has called on the Government to trial a four-day week in the public sector. It found that 57% of people in Wales support or strongly support the idea of a four-day week pilot scheme. 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) will next week submit written evidence to an Oireachtas committee charged with scrutinising planned new laws that the Government claims would give all workers a right to request remote working arrangements. The draft legislation attracted huge criticism from Fórsa and other unions, as well as labour law experts and others, when it was published at the end of last month.

Fórsa has said the current text of the legislation was effectively a “right for employers to refuse remote working.” This is because of the bill’s extensive get-out clauses for employers, together with extremely weak appeals mechanisms.

ICTU has convened a working group involving Fórsa and a small number of other unions to work for amendments to the legislation after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, whose department published the bill, said he would consult with unions and employers organisations on possible changes.

ICTU has been invited to make written and oral submissions to the Oireachtas committee charged with undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny. Fórsa is inputting into the written submission, which will go the committee early next week. A date for the oral hearing was awaited as this bulletin was finalised.

Meanwhile, talks aimed at agreeing a framework for remote working in the civil and public service have resumed.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

A new ‘Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner’ is to be established on foot of a proposed strengthening of legal protections for workplace whistleblowers, published this week.

The new Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill, which will transpose of an EU whistleblowing directive into Irish law, will also widen the scope of those who are entitled to protection. As well as workers, who are already covered by Irish legislation, the new proposals will extend the definition to include volunteers, job applicants and others.

It will require many employers to establish formal channels and procedures for their workers to report concerns about wrongdoing. Private sector organisations with more than 50 employees will now be obliged to establish formal channels and procedures for employees to make protected disclosures.

Ireland is one of only ten EU member states that currently have legislation in place to help protect whistleblowers. This principal legislation in Ireland is the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which will be amended to reflect the new Bill.

Fórsa members can now avail of a will-writing service, at no additional cost, by contacting our service provider HERE. 

ARAG, who provide the union’s legal advice, domestic assistance and counselling helplines, has created an online portal where members can create their will. Members can access the portal and download their exclusive voucher code HERE.

An estimated 70% of Irish people don’t have a will, and over 45% have started preparations but haven’t got any further. It is important to have a will so that when you die, your money, property and possessions will be shared out according to your wishes.

The service is designed for all. Whether you’re single, married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting. With just a few clicks, your will can be printed and signed and working for you.

Get more information HERE. 

Fórsa has welcomed an Amnesty International report which condemns Israeli apartheid and calls for international action to end the oppression of the Palestinian people.

The comprehensive report, ‘Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity,’ sets out how seizures of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, drastic movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians are all components of a system which amounts to apartheid under international law.

Amnesty has called on the EU, USA Britain and other states to “recognise that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid and other international crimes.”

The human right group says the international community should “use all political and diplomatic tools to ensure Israeli authorities implement the recommendations outlined in this report and review any cooperation and activities with Israel to ensure that these do not contribute to maintaining the system of apartheid.”

Fórsa official and member of Trade Union Friends of Palestine Richy Carrothers welcomed the findings. “Israeli authorities must be held accountable for the crime of apartheid against Palestinians,” he said.

He echoed the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) call for international sanctions on Israel including an arms embargo. ICTU has called for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli apartheid, and says the United Nations should re-establish its Special Committee against Apartheid.

The substantial report, compiled over a period of four years by the London-based rights group, means that Amnesty has joined the ranks of Human Rights Watch and the Israeli rights group B’Tselem who have also accused Israel of apartheid in the last year.

“The report marks progress in addressing the root causes of the decades-long, systematic denial of Palestinian rights,” said Richy.

Read the Amnesty International report HERE.

Fórsa will launch a major report on ‘The Irish State Post-Pandemic’ at 11.00am next Thursday (24^th February), and members are able to follow the event via a live-stream. [ADD LINK] Finance spokespeople from all parties represented in Dáil Éireann have been invited to the launch of the paper, which had been produced by TASC, Ireland’s think tank for action on social change.

It’s an analysis of the political and economic space for enhancing the role of a visionary State focused on improving public services and addressing Ireland’s societal needs through social mobility, the reduction of inequality, and the deep integration of climate action into economic development.

The report examines the political and economic constraints to expanding the Irish state and uses case studies to explore public policy can fulfil human and social needs. It makes recommendations about how the state can address challenges in care, renewable energy and higher education.

Fórsa general secretary and Kevin Callinan and TASC director Dr Shana Cohen will introduce the report.

The union says that the Covid experience demonstrated what can be achieved when the state mobilises financial, organisational and human resources for the common good, when people work together collectively, and when citizens have equal and easy access to essential goods and services.

‘The Irish State Post-Pandemic’ forms part of its campaign to embed these principles into our economic, social and business models in order to build a more secure, more equal, and more united country as we exit the pandemic.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa members can continue to avail of free counselling, legal advice and domestic assistance by contacting the union’s helplines, which now have new phone numbers. Qualified personnel are on hand to support Fórsa members 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the following lines:

• Legal help in bodily injury cases: 0818-776644
• Legal advice: 0818-776644
• Confidential counselling: 1800-776655
• Domestic assistance: 0818-776644

Fórsa members can also avail of a health information service, staffed by qualified nurses, on health and fitness and non-diagnostic advice on medical matters. Advice on allergies, the side effects of drugs and how to improve general fitness are also available as part of this service.

The health and medical information line can be reached on 0818 254164, and is available 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public and bank holidays.

If you call outside these times, a message will be taken and a return call arranged within the operating hours. More information can be found HERE.

Workers who wish to join Fórsa can to do so using a new ‘join online’ function on the union’s website.

Going live with the new system follows several months of research, preparation and testing aimed at making it easier than ever to join the union. It also goes live as the union continues to process a large number of new membership applications, as interest in joining the union has surged since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

Fórsa’s general secretary Kevin Callinan commented: “The current crisis has created the necessity to be able to carry out our business in different ways. Work on this project had commenced before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, and its completion marks a vital step as we tackle the challenges of living in changed times.

“We can see that more people want to join a union in response to what’s happening in the wider economy. It’s vital that they can take those initial steps quickly and easily, and making the membership application process more accessible is part of that process.

“This is a crucial new venture to enable Fórsa to substantially increase our membership - and to strengthen the union’s hand - at a critical time in the union’s development,” he said.

The online facility is a streamlined and simplified membership application process, and will be the quickest and easiest way to join the union. All incoming applications will continue to be subject to check-off and approval by Fórsa branches and the national executive committee, while the new online system is designed to ease the administrative burden on branches.

You can join Fórsa online at https://join.forsa.ie/

Fórsa’s Cork Health and Local Government Branch has paid tribute to former member and IMPACT president Finbarr O'Driscoll, who died last year. In memory of the stalwart activist, the branch has launched a bursary in his name to facilitate studies in an area related to trade unionism or activism.

A former councillor and mayor of Cobh, Finbarr was a loyal member and avid union activist.

Speaking at the launch of the bursary, Fórsa official Peter Nolan paid tribute to his long-time friend and union colleague, describing him as a “quintessential Corkonian” with a great conviction for social justice, balanced with a great sense of humour and acerbic wit.

“I knew Finbarr for over four decades. He would often strategize union tactics in flowing Latin quotations, which sometimes left employers – and even union colleagues – mystified, but always made them sure.

“Described by many as a great trade unionist. He was enormously proud of leading the union as president. He did so with great distinction, and served as mayor of Cobh with the same commitment and skill,” he said

Retired member and union colleague Dolores Callnan remembered her friend and spoke fondly of him at the branch’s recent AGM.

“Finbarr believed in volunteerism and championed it at every opportunity, recruiting new members and activists at every opportunity. Finbarr treated people as he found them, no matter who or what they were. Dignity and respect were paramount and it was paid back to him in bucket loads. He deserved it,” she said.

More information on the Finbarr O’Driscoll can be obtained from the Cork health and local government branch.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.