A new public service union called Fórsa with over 80,000 members, will come into being in early 2018 after members of IMPACT, the Civil, Public and Services Union (CPSU), and the Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) voted overwhelmingly to amalgamate the three organisations. 

A timetable for the abolition of FEMPI legislation, which underpinned public service pay cuts and pension levies, was officially outlined with the publication of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill earlier this month. The bill gave effect to the provisions of the new pay deal – the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) – which was backed by a large majority of unions, including IMPACT, in ballots over the summer.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is seeking legal changes to make it easier for victims to report sexually abusive behaviour in the workplace. The move comes after weeks of intense focus on workplace sexual harassment in Ireland and across the globe.

The managing director of Irish Water has confirmed to IMPACT and other unions that its ‘service level agreements (SLAs) with local authorities will remain in place “until such time as an alternative is agreed,” and that no workers will lose their jobs if the company can negotiate agreement on its plans to phase out SLAs by 2021, rather than 2025.

IMPACT has made progress with the HSE in discussions about proposed structures for community healthcare organisations (CHOs), the new structures for managing community and primary health care services. But the union, which is now preparing to enter formal discussions, has warned that ad hoc arrangements are developing because of the lack of detailed proposals from the HSE.

An event was held in Dublin’s Mansion House last week to remember Trevor O’Neill, the IMPACT member and Dublin City Council employee who was shot dead while on holiday with his partner and three children in Majorca in August 2016. It was a case of mistaken identity.